(http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/130201-ankara1-7a.photoblog600.jpg)Turkish television pictures showed damage to a building in Ankara after a reported explosion.By Aziz Akyavas and Ian Johnston, NBC NewsSmoke was seen rising amid reports of an explosion near the U.S. Embassy in the Turkish capital Ankara Friday.
A number of people were wounded and at least two people were killed, according to Turkish media.
Reporters for the Reuters, TRT and IHA news companies said that a suicide bomber had detonated a device in a side street after trying to get inside the embassy's gates.
NBC News was not immediately able to confirm the reports of deaths or that a suicide bomber was responsible.
A call to the embassy’s main number at about 2:10 p.m. local time (7:10 a.m. ET) was not answered.
Speaking at about the same time, State Department spokesman Harry Edwards said that it did not yet have any details on the explosion and could not immediately confirm any attack.
A BBC journalist near the scene, Golnar Motevalli, said police had barricaded the road and she could see three or four ambulances and a fire truck.
She said the situation was "extremely chaotic" and that police sirens were "going off everywhere."
NBC News' John Newland and Alastair Jamieson contributed to this report.
NBC News