Turkey: Explosion in Istanbul’s Crowded Street, Six Dead, Dozens Injured

A strong explosion in a busy street of downtown Istanbul left at least six people dead and 53 others injured, AP reported. The blast rocked Istanbul's popular pedestrian Istiklal Avenue on Sunday. The cause of the explosion is not clear. Turkish President Erdogan calls explosion on main street in Istanbul an 'attack'.

 A video shared on microblogging site Twitter caught the explosion on camera. In this video, a loud bang can be heard as pedestrians scurry for cover. There has been no official confirmation on the casualties in the explosion, but some local media reports put the number of injured to 11. 

 In a tweet, the Governor of Istanbul Ali Yerlikaya said the blast happened at about 4:20 pm (13:20 GMT) and that there were deaths and injuries, however, he did not say how many. As soon as the explosion information was received, emergency services rushed to the site of the explosion. Forces in helicopters were seen circling the area and ambulances were busy shifting injured people to the hospital. 

Bugün saat 16.20 sıralarında Beyoğlu ilçemiz, Taksim İstiklal Caddesi’nde bir patlama meydana gelmiştir.

Olay yerine emniyet, sağlık, itfaiye ve AFAD ekiplerimiz sevk edilmiştir.

Can kaybı ve yaralılarımız bulunmaktadır.

Gelişmeler kamuoyuyla paylaşılacaktır.

— Ali Yerlikaya (@AliYerlikaya) November 13, 2022

 Istiklal Avenue is a crowded street and popular among tourists and locals. Being a Sunday, the thoroughfare had more people than usual who were seen shopping and dining at the time of blast. 

#Taksim'deki #İstiklalCaddesi'nde meydana gelen #patlama sonucu hayatını kaybeden vatandaşlarımıza Allah'tan rahmet, yaralılara acil şifalar diliyorum.
Patlama sebebiyle Anadolu yakasındaki programımı iptal ederek, olayın olduğu bölgeye doğru yola çıktım. pic.twitter.com/TYx0lISL7h

— Ümit Özdağ (@umitozdag) November 13, 2022

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(With inputs from agencies)