Six killed, several wounded in Istanbul explosion

ISTANBUL, Nov 13 (SABAH): A bomb exploded on a popular pedestrian street in Istanbul on Sunday, killing six people, wounding dozens and sending people fleeing as flames rose.

Footage posted online showed ambulances, fire trucks and police at the scene on Istiklal Avenue, a typically crowded thoroughfare popular with tourists and locals and lined with shops and restaurants. In one video, a loud bang could be heard and flames could be seen, as pedestrians turned and ran away. Social media users said shops were shuttered and the avenue closed down.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has condemned the explosion on Istanbul’s Istiklal Street. “I have learned with deep anguish about the explosion at Istiklal Avenue in the heart of Istanbul,” Shehbaz Sharif said on Twitter. He further said “Government and the people of Pakistan express deepest condolences to the brotherly people of Turkiye at the loss of precious lives and send prayers for the speedy recovery of the injured.” President Arif Alvi, FM Bilawal Bhutto and other other political leaders condemned the explosion.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the blast a “treacherous attack” and said its perpetrators would be punished. In addition to the six dead, Erdogan said another 53 were wounded, according to information he received from the Istanbul governor.

Turkey was hit by a string of deadly bombings between 2015 and 2017 by the Islamic State group and outlawed Kurdish groups. Five prosecutors were assigned to investigate the blast, state-run media reported.

Turkey’s media watchdog imposed temporary restrictions on reporting on the explosion — a move that bans the use of close-up videos and photos of the blast and its aftermath. The Supreme Council of Radio and Television has imposed similar bans in the past, following attacks and accidents.