The strong explosion occurred at 4:20 p.m. (1:20 p.m. GMT). on Istiklal Avenue, a time when the crowd is especially dense on this street where locals and tourists usually go for a walk.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan denounced a “vile attack”. The last balance reported that at least six people died and 81 were injured, two of them seriously.
Vice President Fuat Oktay accused “a woman” to have “bomb detonated” in a statement to the press. He did not specify if she is part of the victims.
“The first observations point to a terrorist attack” the president had previously said, adding that “A woman would be involved.”
“The authors of this vile attack will be unmasked. Our people have to be certain that those responsible will be punished,” Erdogan promised.
Istiklal Avenue had already been the scene of attacks in the past, especially during the years 2015-2016, when Istanbul and other cities such as Ankara, the capital, suffered a series of attacks.
Claimed by the Islamic State group, they killed almost 500 people and injured more than 2,000.
– “Deafening” –
The police cordoned off the place to prevent people from approaching and for fear of a second explosion. An imposing deployment of security forces also blocked access to the neighborhood and surrounding streets.
“I was about 50-55 meters away, suddenly there was an explosion noise. I saw three or four people on the ground.” a witness, Cemal Denizci, 57, told AFP.
“People were running in panic. The noise was huge. There was black smoke. The noise was so loud, almost deafening,” she reported.
The explosion, which caused flames, was heard from afar and triggered a movement of panic, according to images spread on social networks.
In the images you can see a large black crater and several bodies lying on the ground.
The mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, went to the place. “I was informed by the fire crews in Istiklal. They continue their work in coordination with the police.” he said on Twitter, offering his condolences to the victims and their families.
In the neighboring neighborhood of Galata, many shops were closed and some bystanders, who came running from the scene of the explosion, had tears in their eyes, according to an AFP journalist.
?? | ATTACK IN ISTANBUL: The moment of the explosion in one of the most important cities in Turkey. pic.twitter.com/5QVQjxniUB
— World in Conflict ? (@MundoEClicto) November 13, 2022
– Forbidden to spread images –
The National Radio and Television Council (RTÜK) quickly banned the media from broadcasting images of the scene.
The objective is “avoid sowing fear, panic and unrest in society and serve the objectives of terrorist organizations”, justified the director of presidential communication and close adviser to President Erdogan, Farhettin Altun.
“All the institutions and organizations of our state carry out a prompt, meticulous and effective investigation into the incident,” he promised in a statement.
Access to social networks was also restricted following the attack, according to online restrictions watcher Netblocks.
Istiklal Avenue, 1.4 km long and which means “Independence”, is located in the historic district of Beyoglu. It is one of the most famous pedestrian arteries in the city.
It is crossed by an old tram, it is full of shops and restaurants and almost 3 million people walk through it every day during the weekend.
In March 2016, a suicide attack in the same place left five people dead.
“Our thoughts are with the people of Turkey in these difficult times,” said the President of the European Council, Charles Michel.
Saudi Arabia also condemned “in the strongest terms” the “terrorist” explosion in central Istanbul.
And in Greece, a country with Turkey maintains tense relations, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs “unequivocally condemned terrorism and expressed its sincere condolences to the Turkish government and people”.
