Four people have been killed and eight others injured after a gunman opened fire near the southern Turkish city of Mersin, according to local media reports.

Turkish news agencies DHA and IHA reported on Monday that at least two victims were killed inside a restaurant, while two others died in separate locations during the attack.

The incident occurred north of Tarsus, about 40 kilometres northeast of Mersin, triggering a large-scale police operation involving helicopters and security teams searching for the suspect.

According to DHA, the attacker is a 17-year-old armed with a shotgun who reportedly fled the scene in a vehicle after carrying out the shootings.

Authorities have yet to officially confirm the motive behind the attack as investigations continue.

The latest violence comes only a month after two separate shooting incidents involving teenagers in Turkey.

In the earlier incidents, one attack left 16 people injured, while another claimed 10 lives, most of them schoolchildren.