At least six people died and several others were injured in a massive explosion that rocked Istanbul’s popular pedestrian Istiklal Avenue in Turkey on Sunday. President Erdogan condemned the incident and called it a ‘vile attack’. He said that initial signs pointed to a “terror” attack in the explosion.
“It might be wrong if we say for sure that this is terror but according to first signs… there is a smell of terror there,” Erdogan told a televised press conference. Vice President Fuat Oktay later claimed that a “suicide bomber” was behind the attacks.
Taking cognizance of the incident, India conveyed condolences to Turkey and its people on the tragic loss of lives. “Our sympathies are also with those who sustained injuries. We wish them a speedy recovery,” an MEA statement read
“The explosion, the cause of which was unknown, occurred in the famous Istiklal shopping street which is popular with locals and tourists,” Istanbul governor Ali Yerlikaya tweeted.
Widely shared footage from the incident showed ambulances, fire trucks and police at the scene in Istiklal Street of the Beyoglu district. State-owned Anadolu agency said the cause of the blast was not yet known, a Reuters report said.
#BREAKING: At least 11 people injured in explosion in Istanbul, Turkey – CNN Turk
— Faytuks News Δ (@Faytuks) November 13, 2022
The cause of the explosion was not clear, but as per social media users, shops were shuttered and the avenue closed down, news agency AP reported.
According to images posted on social media at the time of the explosion, it was accompanied by flames and immediately triggered panic, with people running in all directions. A large black crater was also visible in those images, as well as several bodies lying on the ground nearby.
Soon after the incident, panic ensued on the streets of Istanbul, with several local reports suggesting it was a terror attack orchestrated by a suicide bomber.
According to AFP, the explosion occurred shortly after 4:00 pm on Sunday, reported the television channel NTV which said there were “injured” people.
“I was 50-55 metres (yards) away, suddenly there was the noise of an explosion. I saw three or four people on the ground,” witness Cemal Denizci, 57, told AFP.
“People were running in panic. The noise was huge. There was black smoke. The noise was so strong, almost deafening,” he said. Parents swept their children up into their arms as they fled the area.
Notably, Turkey was hit by a string of deadly bombings between 2015 and 2017 by the Islamic State group and outlawed Kurdish groups.
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