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Casualties confirmed after explosion on popular Istanbul shopping street
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Casualties confirmed after explosion on popular Istanbul shopping street

An explosion rocked a popular pedestrian street in the Turkish city of Istanbul, injuring a number of people, a senior official said Sunday.

International

ISTANBUL — At least six people were killed and dozens more injured when an explosion rocked a popular pedestrian street in Istanbul, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Sunday.

“The explosion might be a terrorist act. A woman is thought to be involved,” Erdogan said in a televised address, without providing details about how he had come to this conclusion.

Vice President Fuat Oktay later updated the wounded toll to 81, with two people in serious condition, and also said it appeared to be a terrorist attack.

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Erdogan called the blast a “treacherous attack” and said its perpetrators would be punished. He did not say who was behind the attack but said it had the “smell of terror” without offering details and also adding that was not certain yet. Erdogan said four people died at the scene and two in the hospital. He added that according to information he received from Istanbul Gov. Ali Yerlikaya, at least 53 people were injured.

Shortly after the blast, Yerlikaya tweeted that it “occurred in Taksim Istiklal Street,” a crowded thoroughfare lined by shops and restaurants, at about 4:20 p.m. local time (8:20 a.m. ET).

“Our wounded are being treated,” he said. “We wish God’s mercy on those who lost their lives and a speedy recovery to the injured.”

The Turkish Red Crescent said blood was being transferred to nearby hospitals.