Explosion in Istanbul After Hours

[Gemma]

Reports of a big explosion on Istanbul's main shopping street Istiklal Caddesi today, unfortunately, there are fatalities.

At least six people have been killed and 81 wounded in an explosion in a busy area of central Istanbul, Turkish authorities have said.

The blast happened at about 16:20 local time (13:20 GMT) on a shopping street in the Taksim Square area, the Turkish city's governor Ali Yerlikaya said.

Vice-President Fuat Oktay said the blast was thought to be a terrorist attack carried out by a woman.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the perpetrators would be punished.

Speaking at a news conference in Istanbul, he condemned what he called the "vile attack" and said "the smell of terror" was in the air.

 

[Ginger Ted]

Not really heard anything about this on our news channels.

Apparently, there was a woman sitting nearby for about 40 minutes then she moved away just before the blast occurred.