An explosion in a major pedestrian thoroughfare in Istanbul caused this Sunday dead and woundedauthorities said. The event occurred in Istiklal avenueindicated the governor of Istanbul, Ali Yerlikaya.
Via Twitter, Yerlikaya said the blast happened at around 4:20pm (10:20am in Argentina) and that there were people killed and injured, but did not provide a figure. So far the cause of the explosion is unknown.
Videos posted online show a loud bang followed by flames and people running away.
Other videos showed ambulances, fire trucks and police at the scene.
On social media it was reported that the commercial activities in the area have been closed and that access to the avenue has been prevented.
CNN Turk reported that 11 people were injured. The street is extremely busy with locals and tourists and is lined with shops and restaurants. The explosion occurred around 4.20pm (1.30pm GMT).
In Turkey, between 2015 and 2017, there were several explosive attacks by the Islamic State group and proscribed Kurdish groups.
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Source: Clarin
