At least six dead in terrorist bomb attack in Istanbul

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t least six people have died and 81 are injured after an explosion in Istanbul city center which officials have described as an apparent act of terrorism.

Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the explosion on the busy Istiklal Street around 4.20pm local time was caused by a “heinous” bomb attack. He said the explosion “smiles like terrorism”, although he said investigations were still underway.

The country’s Vice President Fuat Oktay later updated the wounded toll to 81 and also said it appeared to be a terrorist attack.

Officials said a woman may have played a part in the explosion, although nobody had claimed responsibility for the blast.

authorities also said a government ministry worker and his young daughter were among the dead. Five people were in intensive care in hospital, two of them in a critical condition.

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“Efforts to defeat Turkey and the Turkish people through terrorism will fail today just as they did yesterday and as they will fail again tomorrow,” Mr Erdogan told a news conference.

“Our people can rest assured that the culprits behind the attack will be punished as they deserve.

“It would be wrong to say this is undoubtedly a terrorist attack but the initial developments and initial intelligence from my governor is that it smells like terrorism.”

Security and ambulances at the scene after an explosion on Istanbul’s Istiklal Avenue

/ AP

Footage posted online showed flames erupting and a loud bang, as pedestrians turned and ran away.

“When I heard the explosion, I was petrified, people froze, looking at each other. Then people started running away. What else can you do,” said Mehmet Akus, 45, a worker in a restaurant on Istiklal told Reuters news agency.

“My relatives called me, they know I work on Istiklal. I reassured them,” he said.

The Turkish Red Crescent said blood was being transferred to nearby hospitals in the wake of the explosion.

Condemnations of the attack and condolences for the victims have been paid by several countries, including Greece, Egypt, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Pakistan.

European Council President Charles Michel said on Twitter he had sent condolences to victims after the “horrific news”.

The avenue is a crowded thoroughfare popular with tourists and locals, lined by shops and restaurants.

Turkey was hit by a string of bombings between 2015 and 2017 that left more than 500 civilians and security personnel dead.

Some of the attacks were perpetrated by the Islamic State group, while others were executed by Kurdish militants who have led a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state for increased autonomy or independence.

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