Istanbul: Suicide car bombers attacked two synagogues in Istanbul at almost the same time today (Nov 15), killing at least 15 people and injuring more than 140, Turkey's Interior Minister said.

A militant Turkish Islamic group claimed responsibility for the blasts, the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported.

One explosion went off outside the Neve Shalom synagogue, the city's largest. The other severely damaged the Beth Israel synagogue in the affluent district of Sisli, five kms away, where members of the city's tiny Jewish, Armenian and Greek communities live.

Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu said at least 15 people killed and 146 were injured. Earlier he said 23 people had been killed. There was no explanation for the discrepancy.

Both attacks were suicide car bombings, Aksu said. Anatolia said more than 80 were wounded.

Twisted metals, shattered windows and debris from partly collapsed synagogues and nearby buildings filled the streets, while the scent of smoke and burned bodies filled the air.

Agencies