An explosion that happened in a busy area in Central Istanbul has taken at least six lives and left 81 wounded, Turkey officials disclosed.
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| Police officers deployed near the scene of the explosion in Istanbul, Turkey. Photo: Kemal Aslan/Reuters via Al Jazeera |
According to the Turkish city’s governor Ali Yerlikaya, the explosion occurred at about 16:20 local time (13:20 GMT) on a shopping street in the Taksim Square area.
Fuat Oktay, Vice-President, said, the attack was thought to be a terrorist attack executed by a woman, and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said those involved in the blast will not go unpunished.
Erdogan, speaking at a news conference, said he condemned what he called the “vile attack”, and said “the smell of terror” was in the air.
So far, no one has claimed responsibility for the explosion.
