Istanbul: At least eight Turkish soldiers were killed on Wednesday in a bomb attack in the south-eastern province of Siirt, media reports said.

The attack has been blamed on Kurdish PKK militants and comes amid a wave of violence after the failure of a two-year ceasefire, Xinhua reported.

Meanwhile, two people were arrested after gunfire was heard outside Istanbul's iconic Dolmabahce Palace, which houses offices of the prime minister. However, no casualties were reported.

The palace was the main administrative centre of the Ottoman Empire for many years in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

The founder of modern Turkey, Mustapha Kemal Ataturk, died there in 1938.

A man suspected of belonging to the banned leftist group DHKP-C was arrested in January after attacking guards outside the palace.

(IANS)