Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that a ‘bomb attack’ in Istanbul killed at least six people and injured 53 others.
“Soon after the treacherous attack, security and health units were dispatched to the scene and the injured were immediately transferred to nearby hospitals,” Ihlas news agency quoted the president as saying.
“Efforts to capture Turkey through terrorism will not work,” Erdogan said.
Erdogan made the statement at Istanbul’s Ataturk airport before leaving for Indonesia for the upcoming G20 summit, Xinhua news agency reported.
The explosion occurred at 4:20 pm (local time) on the busy pedestrianized Istiklal Avenue in the European part of the city.
Local media reported that the sound of the explosion caused a stir throughout the historic Beoglu district and caused severe panic. PLC/GT
