Emergency responders at the scene of the attack in Istanbul, Turkey
Eko Hot Blog reports that at least six people and 81 others injured after an explosion hit Istiklal street in the heart of Istanbul, Turkey’s capital, on Sunday.
Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya tweeted that the explosion occurred at about 1:20 pm GMT (2:20 pm Nigerian time).
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan disclosed that the explosion was caused by a “bomb attack”.
Speaking before his departure to the Group of 20 (G20) summit in Indonesia on Sunday, Erdogan said the explosion was a “treacherous attack” and its perpetrators would be punished.
An Al Jazeera reporter, who was reporting from Istiklal avenue, said that three suspects, a woman and two men, were reportedly involved in the blast.
According to Erdogan, the main suspect in the incident is the woman.
The Al Jazeera reporter reported that officials believe that she is a member of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
The reporter, Sinem Koseoglu, said the suspect reportedly dropped a bag of explosives in the middle of the street packed with civilians, and it detonated a few minutes after she left.
“I learned from my sources that the other two suspects are two very young men who were born after 2000,” she also said.
Turkish Vice-President Fuat Oktay said two injured persons were in critical condition.
Oktay said the incident is considered a “terrorist act.”
A witness, speaking to Al Jazeera, said she thought the sound of the explosion had come from a construction site, saying she did not want to think it was a bomb.
“I was at Mango two hours beforehand. Then we went to [the adjacent neighbourhood of] Cihangir and heard the sound of an explosion while eating and did not want to think that it was a bomb,” Asena Hayal told Al Jazeera.
“We thought something fell from a construction site but then realised there is no construction on Sundays. Later the news arrived indicating that it was an explosion.”
The attack was the deadliest in Turkey in more than five years.
The country had experienced relative peace in the last five years following frequent terrorist attacks that led to the death of dozens of people.
Click to watch our video of the week
LAWMA's CEO emphasized the agency's commitment to environmental sustainability and operational excellence. The lecture was…
The initiative is being implemented under JICA’s Food Security Emergency Support funding the programme seeks…
NERC Fines Eight DisCos N628 Million for Overbilling Unmetered Customers The NERC imposes the fine…