LONDON — A suspected car bomb exploded late Monday outside a court house in Northern Ireland, police said.

There were no initial reports of any injuries in the blast in the County Down town of Newry.

A police spokeswoman said the car exploded as officers were in the process of evacuating "a few people" from the area after they received reports of a suspicious vehicle abandoned outside the building at about 10 p.m. local time.

The spokeswoman said no details were immediately available. (AP)