6 dead, 53 wounded in explosion on Istanbul's Istiklal Avenue

Security and ambulances at the scene after an explosion on Istanbul’s popular pedestrian Istiklal Avenue, Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022. An explosion on one of Istanbul’s most popular pedestrian thoroughfares killed four people and injured more than 30 on Sunday, authorities said. The cause of the blast on Istiklal Avenue was not immediately clear. Five prosecutors were assigned to investigate the explosion, state-run Anadolu news agency said.(AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

An afternoon explosion on one of Turkey’s busiest shopping thoroughfares Sunday killed at least six people and injured dozens more, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, calling the explosion a “treacherous attack.”

In footage shared on social media that appeared to show the explosion — on Istiklal Street, a broad, storied pedestrian avenue in Istanbul’s Beyoglu district — a small fireball can be seen, along with tourists and shoppers screaming and fleeing in panic.

At least 53 people were wounded in the attack, Erdogan said, in remarks to reporters shortly before departing Turkey on Sunday. “If we say that this is terror it might be wrong, but with the initial developments and with the information that my governor has relayed to us, there is the smell of terror,” he said, adding that there were “initial” reports that a woman fleeing the scene had played some role.

A boy separated from his parents is cared for after an explosion on Istiklal street.(Burak Kara/Getty Images)

Turkey over the past decade has been a frequent target of attacks, carried out by militants from the Islamic State extremist group or Kurdish militants, among others. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the explosion Sunday, and the authorities did not name any suspects.

Ali Yerlikaya, the regional governor of Istanbul, said in a message posted on Twitter that the explosion occurred shortly after 4 p.m. local time. It was audible for miles around, in a neighborhood known for tourist attractions and shops that are a magnet for the millions of visitors who have ventured to Istanbul as pandemic fears over travel have begun to subside.

Unverified videos shared on social media footage showed what appeared to be several bodies lying on the ground, on a stretch of Istiklal near Istanbul’s Taksim Square. Ambulances could be seen racing from the scene shortly after the explosion through throngs of tourists. Istanbul’s mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, appealed for calm on social media and called on people to assist authorities at the site.

Istiklal avenue, sometimes called Istanbul’s Champs-Elysées, was the site of a suicide bombing in March 2016 that killed five people, including two U.S. nationals, and injured dozens more. Every day of the week, the avenue is filled with people — Turkish citizens, along with tourists from a multitude of countries — strolling or visiting large chain stores that have outlets on Istiklal, as well as a handful of shopping malls.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip 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. The president said investigations were ongoing by the police and the governor’s office, including reviewing footage of the area.