On Sunday, a bomb went out on a busy pedestrian street in the center of Istanbul, killing six people, injuring many more, and forcing many more to run as the flames rose.
Ambulances, fire vehicles, and police were seen at the site on Istiklal Avenue, a busy street lined with stores and eateries leading to Taksim Square, in footage shared online.
A huge blast could be heard in one video, and people could see flames as they turned and fled.
The explosion was referred to as a “treacherous strike” by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who also promised to punish those responsibly.
Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya tweeted that 53 other people had been injured in addition to the six fatalities—victim statistics that Erdogan also provided.
Erdogan did not identify the perpetrators of the incident, but he did claim that there was a “smell of terror” about it.
He added that this was not yet confirmed. He claimed that the governor’s office and the police were still looking into the incident and studying video from the scene.
Between 2015 and 2017, the illegal Kurdish factions and the Islamic State group attacked Turkey with deadly attacks.
In the attacks, more than 500 civilians and security personnel died.
The use of up-close recordings and pictures of the explosion and its aftermath has been prohibited for the time being by Turkey’s media authority.
Similar prohibitions have previously been issued by the Supreme Council of Radio and Television in the wake of attacks and mishaps.
Videos on Twitter and other social media platforms were only partially accessible.
לפחות 11 נפגעים בפיצוץ בשדרות איסתיקלאל, אחד הרחובות הראשיים באיסטנבול שבטורקיה; במשרד החוץ בודקים האם היו ישראלים מעורבים באירוע | תיעוד רגע הפיצוץ @amitkalderon_ @yanircozin pic.twitter.com/WHqbj8etdO
— גלצ (@GLZRadio) November 13, 2022
JOIN US ON WHAT'SAPP, TO GET INSTANT STATUS UPDATES AND BE IN THE KNOW.
CLICK HERE
