Huge explosion in the center of Istanbul
The Turkish media and the governor of Istanbul reported that an explosion occurred in a crowded street in the Taksim, in the center of the Istanbul.
The explosion killed 6 people and injured 81 others, according to what Turkish Vice President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced at a press conference.
The official TRT news channel and other media showed videos of ambulances and police heading to the site of the explosion on the famous Istiklal Street in Istanbul’s Beykoglu district.
#taksim #istiklal'deki bombanın patlama anı… pic.twitter.com/k9sLyGfWUQ
— Gerçek Gündem (@gercekgundem724) November 13, 2022
The official Turkish Anadolu news agency said that the cause of the explosion was not yet clear.
Questions were raised about whether the bombing was caused by an explosive device, or by a suicide bomber, and investigations have already begun to find out the circumstances of the explosion.
The nearby Kasim Pasha police station said that all its teams rushed to the scene of the explosion, without giving further details.
Turkish security prevented entry to Istiklal Street, and called on Turkish citizens not to leave their homes, while security reports suggested that the bombing was caused by a terrorist act.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan commented on the bombing during a press conference from Istanbul, and confirmed that the perpetrators would be revealed.
On Sunday, Erdogan considered the explosion in Istanbul a “despicable attack,” noting that it left “six dead and 53 wounded,” according to a previous toll.
“The identity of the perpetrators of this despicable attack will be revealed,” he said, two hours after the explosion on Istiklal Commercial Street… Let our people make sure that we will punish the perpetrators”.
Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay announced on Sunday evening that a female suicide bomber carried out the attack that took place on Istiklal Street in Istanbul, leaving six dead and 81 injured, two of them seriously, according to the latest toll.
“We consider it a terrorist attack as a result of an attacker, a woman, detonating a bomb, according to preliminary information,” Oktay told reporters.
