In what Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan described as a “vile” bomb blast that “smells like terrorism,” an explosion shook a popular pedestrian thoroughfare in the heart of Istanbul on Sunday, killing at least six people and leaving 53 others injured.
The blast happened just after 4 o’clock in the well-known Istiklal retail district, which is well-liked by both locals and visitors.
Images shared on social media at the time of the explosion show that it was accompanied by flames and that people instantly ran in all directions out of fright.
Pictures showed a massive dark crater and a number of bodies on the ground nearby.
A big security cordon was set up by police to bar entry to the damaged area out of concern for a second blast, according to an AFP video journalist who was on the scene.
The neighborhood in the largest city in Turkey, Beyoglu, had been busy during the weekend with shoppers, tourists, and families as usual.
After the blast, individuals were seen caring for the casualties in a Reuters video, and afterward, white-clad detectives could be seen gathering evidence from the scene.
All entrances were equally blocked by a sizable security force presence, and it was clear that both police and rescue personnel were heavily deployed.
A helicopter hovered above the incident, while Taksim Square, nearby, had a lot of ambulances stationed there.
“I was 50-55 meters (yards) away, and 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,” he said.
Erdogan told a press conference that initial information suggested: “a woman played a part” in the bombing. “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,” he added.
“Our people can rest assured that the culprits behind the attack will be punished as they deserve,” he said. “Efforts to defeat Turkey and the Turkish people through terrorism will fail today just as they did yesterday and as they will again tomorrow.”
Few details were provided by the authorities, and no groups immediately claimed responsibility for the explosion, but terrorist and Kurdish groups have previously targeted Turkish cities.
During an attack campaign in 2015 and 2016 that targeted Istanbul and other cities, including the capital Ankara, Istiklal Avenue has previously been attacked.
To read our blog on “Police create drawings of a woman accused of assisting a suicide bomber in the KU incident,” click here.
