A woman was killed in an explosion in Thessaloniki, northern Greece, police said on Saturday.

An explosive device the woman had been carrying exploded in her hands, authorities said.

"It appears that she was carrying an explosive device and planned to plant it [at] a bank's ATM," a senior police official told the Reuters agency.

"Something went wrong and [it] exploded in her hands," the official added.

The 38-year-old woman was injured in the explosion and later died in the hospital.

According to police, the woman was known to authorities and had taken part in several past robberies.

Police said possible links to extreme leftist groups were also being investigated.

Edited by: Rana Taha