Six Killed And 81 Injured By Explosion In Istanbul, President Erdogan: Smells Of Terrorism

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (Source: Presidency of The Republic of Turkey)

JAKARTA - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the explosion in Istanbul that killed six people and injured 81 others on Sunday as a terrorist bomb attack, ensuring that the perpetrators would be punished according to the provisions.

Hundreds of people fled historic Istiklal Avenue after the explosion, as ambulances and police rushed in. The area, in the Beyoglu District, was packed as usual on weekends with shoppers, tourists, and families.

Video footage obtained by Reuters shows the moment the explosion occurred at 16.13 local time, sending debris into the air and leaving several people lying on the ground, while others staggered.

Hours after the explosion, Vice President Fuat Oktay visited the site to provide the latest death and injury tolls, and vowed to resolve the issue "soon".

Authorities said a government ministry worker and his daughter were among the dead. Five people are in intensive care in the hospital, two of whom are in critical condition.

No one has claimed responsibility for the explosion.

Istanbul and other Turkish cities have been targeted by Kurdish separatists, Islamist militants, and other groups, including in a series of attacks in 2015 and 2016.

"Attempts to defeat Turkey and the Turkish people through terrorism will fail today as they did yesterday and tomorrow," President Erdogan said at a press conference before flying to Indonesia for a G20 summit.

"Our people can rest assured that the perpetrators will be punished accordingly," he stressed, adding that initial information indicated "a woman played a role" in it.

"It would be wrong to say this was unquestionably a terrorist attack, but the initial development and initial intelligence from my governor was that it smacked of terrorism," he added.

Separately, Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag was quoted by state-run Anadolu as saying a woman had been sitting on a bench for more than 40 minutes, before finally leaving and an explosion occurred, suggesting the bomb was either planning to explode or detonated from afar.

Condemnation over the attack and condolences for the victims poured in from countries including Greece, Egypt, Ukraine, Britain, Azerbaijan, Italy, and Pakistan.

On Twitter, European Council President Charles Michel sent his condolences to the victims after the "terrible news".

If confirmed, it would be the first major bomb blast in Istanbul in years. Earlier, twin bombings outside an Istanbul football stadium in December 2016 killed 38 people and injured 155 others, in attacks claimed by the militant offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the European Union and the United States.