Deaths and injuries in explosions in Istanbul

At least six people were killed and 53 injured in an explosion on Istanbul's famous Istiklal shopping street, according to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He spoke of a "sneaky attack". So a bomb exploded. It might be wrong to speak definitively of terrorism, the President said. But the governor of the metropolis, Ali Yerlikaya, told him there was a "smell of terror" in the air.

According to Yerlikaya, the explosion happened at 4:20 p.m. local time. Rescue workers and the police are on site in large numbers, the state broadcaster TRT reported. Helicopters flew over Beyoglu and neighboring districts in the early evening. The Turkish Minister of Communications, Fahrettin Altun, said investigations into the background to the crime were ongoing.