Six dead, 81 wounded as explosion rocks Istanbul's Istiklal Avenue

ISTANBUL – Turkiye's popular Istiklal Avenue was rocked by a strong explosion, which left at least six people dead and 81 wounded, Istanbul’s governor confirmed on Sunday.

The city's governor, Mr. Ali Yerlikaya, tweeted that police, health, fire and AFAD teams were sent to the scene.

Bugün saat 16.20 sıralarında Beyoğlu ilçemiz, Taksim İstiklal Caddesi’nde bir patlama meydana gelmiştir.

Olay yerine emniyet, sağlık, itfaiye ve AFAD ekiplerimiz sevk edilmiştir.

Can kaybı ve yaralılarımız bulunmaktadır.

Gelişmeler kamuoyuyla paylaşılacaktır.

— Ali Yerlikaya (@AliYerlikaya) November 13, 2022

Earlier, the Turkish media reported at least five dead and over a dozen injured in the explosion. The cause of the blast was not clear immediately.

Social media was quickly flooded with videos of the scenes when the blast ripped through the area full of pedestrians, mainly tourists.

Taksim’de meydana gelen patlamada hayatını kaybedenlere, Allah’tan rahmet, yaralılara acil şifalar diliyorum!

KİMSENİN YANINA KALMAZ❗️😡#İstanbul #Taksim

https://t.co/fid4oY0Eep

— TRADERRiCHi (@richiminnoo) November 13, 2022

Istiklal Avenue, historically known as the Grand Avenue of Pera, in the historic Beyoğlu district, is an elegant 1.4 kilometre pedestrian street and one of the most famous avenues in Turkey's Istanbul city. 

This is a developing story.