'Terrorist' explosion in Istanbul kills 6, wounds dozens

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A suspected terrorist explosion rocked a busy pedestrian area in Istanbul on Sunday afternoon — leaving six people dead and dozens wounded, officials said.

Footage posted online showed scores of ambulances, fire trucks and police converging on the chaotic scene of the Turkish city's Istiklal Avenue, a popular thoroughfare lined with shops and restaurants that leads to the iconic Taksim Square, after the bombing.

Turkish officials said a woman may have planted the bomb — filled with nails for maximum casualties — in a bag she appeared to have left on a bench after sitting there for about 40 minutes. The explosion occurred minutes after she got up and left.

"It might be wrong if we say for sure that this is terror, but according to first signs … there is a smell of terror there," said Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, at a televised press conference.

#taksim #istiklal'deki bombanın patlama anı… pic.twitter.com/k9sLyGfWUQ

In one video from the scene, a loud bang can be heard as flames erupt, leaving panicked pedestrians to run, including parents sweeping their children up in their arms as they flee.

"I was 50, 55 meters away. Suddenly, there was the noise of an explosion. I saw three or four people on the ground," said Cemal Denizci, 57.

"People were running in panic. The noise was huge. There was black smoke. The noise was so strong, almost deafening."

The famed Istiklal shopping street was packed with locals and tourists at the time.

A large black crater — as well as several bodies lying on the ground nearby — were visible in images posted on social media.

A government worker and his daughter were among the dead, authorities said. Five people were in intensive care in hospital, two of them in a critical condition.

The tally of injured stood at 83 as of late Sunday, officials said.

Erdogan condemned the "vile attack" that ripped through the famed central.

"The relevant units of our state are working to find the perpetrators … behind this vile attack," he said.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday noted that the Istanbul attack came exactly seven years after Islamic State extremists killed 130 people at Paris cafes, the Bataclan Theater and France's national stadium.

"On such a symbolic day for our nation, as we are thinking of the victims who fell Nov. 13, 2015, the Turkish people were hit by an attack on their heart, Istanbul," Macron said.

"To the Turks: We share your pain. We stand at your side in the fight against terrorism."

With Post Wires