The Anadolu Agency says the clashes erupted in the mainly Kurdish city of Diyarbakir when police tried to prevent the group from celebrating a traditional spring festival, Nowruz, that marks the vernal equinox.

Authorities have declared any celebration illegal on Sunday, insisting that the festival must be celebrated on March 21 as usual, but Kurdish groups defied the ban in several cities across the country.

The state-run agency says police have also used water canons and pepper spray to disperse hundreds of stone-throwing Kurds in Istanbul.