Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says an explosion on a major pedestrian thoroughfare in central Istanbul has killed six people and injured 53.
Speaking before his departure to the G-20 summit in Indonesia on Sunday, Erdogan said the explosion on Istiklal Avenue was a “heinous attack” and its perpetrators would be punished.
Four people died at the scene and two died in the hospital, Erdogan said. Another 53 were wounded, according to information he received from the Istanbul governor.
Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya earlier said the explosion occurred at about 4:20 pm (13:20 GMT) on Sunday.
A video posted online showed flames erupting and a loud bang, as pedestrians turned and ran away.
Other footage showed ambulances, fire trucks and police at the scene. Social media users said shops were shuttered and the avenue closed down.
The avenue is a crowded thoroughfare popular with tourists and locals, lined by shops and restaurants.
The Turkish Red Crescent said blood was being transferred to nearby hospitals. Turkey’s RTUK regulator imposed a broadcast ban on coverage of the blast around an hour after it occurred.
“My condolences to those who lost their lives in the explosion on Istiklal Avenue,” Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu said on Twitter.
Turkey was hit by a string of deadly bombings between 2015 and 2017 by ISIL (ISIS) and by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
Al Jazeera’s Sinem Koseoglu, reporting from Istanbul, said the explosion comes as a shock as there have not been any recent warnings over attacks in the city.
“But security measures have remained high in the area,” she said.
Murat Aslan, a security analyst, told Al Jazeera that the place the blast took place in a very crowded area with high security in place.
“The police in general is on the highest level in this area,” he said.
