The cause of the explosion has not yet been determined
According to the governor of the city of Istanbul, 5 are dead and 38 are injured
At least five people were killed and more than 12 injured after a powerful explosion hit a busy pedestrian street in the central area of Istanbul’s Taksim Square, according to a local governor, in videos posted on social networks and Turkish media.
As CNN Turk reports, the explosion occurred in the Beyoglu area, where scenes of panic prevailed.
The cause of the explosion, which occurred at 16:20, is currently unknown. There are suspicions that it may be a suicide attack, but the information has not been officially confirmed,
Images from the scene also show it could have been a bomb planted in the area.
Reuters reported the news of one dead person, while it appears that there are others, although their number has not yet been determined.
According to the state-run Anadolu news agency, the cause of the blast has not yet been determined, but local channels, which showed security camera footage of the blast in Taksim Square, believe it was caused by a bag bomb left on the street.
#taksim
pic.twitter.com/LqoV22EkZQ— mev (@hkvszt)
November 13, 2022
#taksim
#istiklal‘deki bombanın patlama anı…
pic.twitter.com/k9sLyGfWUQ— Haberden Habere (@HaberdenHabere_)
November 13, 2022
Initial reports: פיצוף בצער טקסים בלב איסטנבול 🇹🇷#Türkiye
#İstanbul
#Taksim
pic.twitter.com/omfT4ToNav— Dean Shmuel Elmas (@ElmasDean)
November 13, 2022
The entire Turkish state machine and military gendarmerie are on alert
It is possible that the Kurds, since it is officially proven that they struck Istanbul today, want to send a message to the Erdogan regime that any new massive Turkish attack with chemical weapons in Northern Iraq would trigger major attacks inside Turkey, creating “hell” for the Turkish people where there were great disasters and losses.
“There are strong suspicions that it was a suicide bomber, but we have no official statement yet [για αυτό]Governor Sinem Koseoglu told Al Jazeera from Istanbul.
Koseoglu said the explosion comes as a shock as there have been no recent warnings of attacks in the city. “But security remained high in the area.”
Istanbul Governor Ali Gerlikaya tweeted that the blast occurred around 4:20 p.m. (13:20 GMT) on Sunday and that there were dead and injured, but did not say how many. The cause of the explosion was not clear.
CNN Turk television reported that 11 people were injured. The boulevard is a busy thoroughfare popular with tourists and locals, lined with shops and restaurants.
Ambulances and security are seen after an explosion on the busy Istiklal pedestrian street in Istanbul. Ambulances and security on the avenue.
