The attack in Adana was the latest in a string of deadly bombings that have rocked Turkey for more than a year.

The attacks have been carried out by Kurdish militants or the Islamic State group.

Energy minister Berat Albayrak condemned the attack during a news conference in Adana, promising to "bury... those who commit terrorism, their pawns and their supporters".

Adana governor Mahmut Demirtas told the state-run Anadolu Agency that the attack occurred in a car park near the entrance to his office. He said it was believed to have been carried out by a woman, without saying whether it was a suicide attack.

"Terror hit my hometown today. Lost two citizens, dozens wounded. It is a shame to talk about proportionality against terrorist organisations," Omer Celik, the minister in charge of European Union affairs, wrote on his Twitter account.

The European Union regularly criticises Turkey's sweeping crackdown following the failed coup attempt in July, which Ankara defended as part of an ongoing war on terror. The bloc will hold a non-binding vote on Thursday on whether or not to freeze Turkey's membership talks.

Deputy prime minister Numan Kurtulmus condemned the attack and offered condolences on Twitter, adding: "Having become a target because it has disrupted the game being played in the region, Turkey will not yield to terrorism, it will continue its fight against terrorism with determination."

Several cars in the car park caught fire after the blast, video footage showed. The blast also damaged the government building, Anadolu Agency said.

Some of the wounded were in a serious condition, said Huseyin Sozlu, the mayor for the city.

"The bomb that was detonated was a high impact one," he said.

A statement by the United States Consulate urged all citizens to "avoid this area throughout the day, maintain a high level of vigilance, monitor local media for updates, and exercise caution if you are in the vicinity".

American troops are stationed at the Incirlik Air Force base, roughly six miles from the city centre. Incirlik serves as a base for aircraft involved in the US-led coalition's campaign against the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq.