Al-Madinah News:- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced at least 6 dead and 53 wounded in the explosion that shook the Taksim area in central Istanbul on Sunday afternoon.
Erdogan pledged – in a televised speech – to reveal the perpetrators of the bombing, and said that they “will receive their punishment,” adding that “the elements that are trying to undermine the Turkish state will not achieve its ambition.
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The Turkish president explained that the authorities believe that the bombing is “terrorist”, and that there is a woman involved in it, but it is still under research, he said.
Erdogan stressed that “terrorist organizations’ attempts to topple the state will fail.
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Earlier, Istanbul’s governor, Ali Yerli Qaya, reported that the explosion occurred at 4:20 pm (13:20 GMT), and the official Turkish Anatolia Agency reported that the authorities were unable to immediately know the cause of the explosion.
Al -Jazeera correspondent Omar Al -Hajj said that the explosion occurred on the famous tourist independence street in the Taksim area, and he heard a strong sound.
The correspondent added that the authorities immediately sent ambulances and firefighting, and also sent experts in dismantling the explosives.
The explosion took place within hours of crowding in the tourist street, and on a weekly holiday in Turkey.
Turkish security prevented entry to Istiklal Street and called on citizens to refrain from leaving homes and shops in the area.
Al -Jazeera correspondent indicated that the last major explosion in Istanbul was in 2017.
Local media reported that there are currently investigators at the accident site. The Turkish Red Crescent said that bags of blood were being transferred to hospitals near the accident site.
The Supreme Council for Radio and Television Broadcasting in Turkey imposed a ban on the coverage of the explosion about an hour after it occurred.
Source: Al -Jazeera + Sanad Agency + Agencies.
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