City residents have been urged to avoid the area after an explosion on Istanbul’s famous shopping street, Istiklal. Surrounding streets should also be kept free of traffic, the broadcaster TRT reported, citing authorities on Sunday. According to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the explosion was a “vile attack”. According to new information, six people were killed and more than 50 others injured, the head of state said on television on Sunday.
In the meantime, the Turkish broadcasting authority Rtük has imposed a temporary news ban on the media. Reports of the blast should be avoided to avoid fear and panic among the population, Sunday’s letter said. The broadcasters CNN Türk and TRT, for example, then interrupted their reports on the explosion on the popular shopping street.
According to Yerlikaya, the explosion happened at 4:20 p.m. local time. Rescue workers and the police are on site in large numbers, the state broadcaster TRT reported. A powerful bang is heard on recordings on online networks, followed by flames. The images also show a large, black crater and several people lying on the ground. The explosion immediately caused panic among visitors to the shopping street. The area was immediately evacuated. Video showing the moment of the explosion suggests a bomb exploded in an abandoned bag.
Turkey, and Istanbul in particular, was the target of a bloody campaign of attacks in 2015 and 2016, to which the jihadist militia Islamic State claimed responsibility. One of the attacks was also carried out on Istiklal Street.
