Two militants killed in southern Turkey after large blast

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish security forces killed two militants in the southern province of Hatay on Monday, after clashes that resulted in a large blast in the area, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said.

The militants were identified by authorities at a security checkpoint in Hatay's Payas district earlier on Monday, Hatay's governor said, adding that one of them was neutralised following clashes in the Iskendurun district.

A large blast occurred during the clashes, but no casualties were reported on the side of the security forces, the governor said. It was not immediately clear what caused the blast.

Footage from the area showed several ambulances and police vehicles at the blast site, as authorities inspected the area and searched the vehicle used by the militants to escape from the checkpoint to Iskenderun.

(Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Alison Williams)