A child suicide bomber, possibly as young as 12, carried the bomb which caused a massive explosion which killed 51 people and left a further 69 injured in south-eastern Turkey, authorities have said.

Turkish officials have already said Islamic State (Isis) was likely responsible for the suicide attack on the outdoor wedding in Gaziantep, in an ethnic Kurdish area.

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Speaking on national television in Istanbul, the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the young suicide bomber was aged between 12-14.

He also updated the number of wounded to 69, saying 17 of those were in critical condition, according to AP.

"It was clear that [Isis] had such an organisation in Gaziantep or was attempting to make room for itself in recent times," Erdogan was quoted as saying. "Many intensive operations were conducted, are being conducted. Of course, our security forces will be conducting these operations with even greater intensity," he added.

Locals in Gaziantep on Turkey's border with Syria have expressed their disbelief at the scale of the carnage.

"This was a wedding party. Just a regular wedding party," Hamdullah Ceyhan, a bus driver who brought guests to the wedding told local media. "This attack was deplorable. How did they do such a thing?"

In the aftermath of the attack, Erdogan said Isis (Daesh) was the "likely perpetrator".

In a statement, the Turkish leader said there was no difference between Hizmet – the organisation run by US-based cleric Fethullah Gülen, who he accuses of plotting Turkey's attempted coup last month – the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), and IS.

Turkey's restive south-east region has been plagued by violence and bombings over the last six years, since the start of the civil war in Syria.

While the PKK has been held responsible for the majority of suicide bombings in the region, the group has regularly targeted military and police facilities, as opposed to the soft civilian targets which are favoured by IS.

Isis Islamic State