Istanbul, Nov 13: A strong explosion in a busy area at the heart of a busy pedestrian street in Turkey's port city of Istanbul has left several people dead and many others injured, according to the local governor, published videos and Turkish media.
The blast, reportedly caused by a bomb, occurred shortly after 4:00 pm (1300 GMT) on Sunday in the famous Istiklal shopping street in the Beyoglu district, which is popular with locals and tourists. The cause of the blast has not been made clear yet.
No group has so far claimed responsibility for the Istanbul explosion.
The governor of Istanbul, Ali Yerlikaya, says four people have been killed and 38 others wounded in the explosion. Other reports, however, have put the fatalities at as many as 11 with 15 others injured.
State broadcaster TRT and other media showed ambulances and police heading to the scene.
The nearby Kasimpasa police station said all crews were at the scene but gave no further details.
The area has been evacuated.
Images shared on social media at the time of the explosion indicated it could be heard from far away and that there were also flames. A wide black crater is also visible on the images as well as several bodies on the ground nearby.
Local media said crime inspectors were on the scene and Anadolu reported that the Istanbul chief public prosecutor's office had launched an investigation into the blast.
Istiklal avenue was affected during a series of attacks targeting Istanbul in 2015-2016 claimed by the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group.
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