At least 10 people were killed and 15 others wounded in explosion in central Istanbul square, official says
An explosion rocked central Istanbul's Sultanahmet square, a major tourist attraction, on Tuesday. Istanbul governor's office says 10 killed, 15 wounded in Sultanahmet explosion, statement on website.
A number of policemen were sent to the scene as police sealed off the Hippodrome area of historic Sultanahmet after an explosion that could be heard from several districts of Istanbul.
All transportation in the area, including trams, has been halted. Ambulances and police have arrived to seal off the area and tend to the wounded.
The Sultanahmet district is a central tourist destination, often very crowded.
Initial video from the scene shows a police car overturned while people in the area are rushing and security officials sealed off the area.
An Investigation regarding the blast has been launched immediately.
In recent months, Turkey has been shaken by several terror attacks which claimed over 100 lives.
In July last year, at least 32 people were killed in an explosion in the border city of Suruç, when a suicide bomb targeted a group of youth during a rally in the city of Şanlıurfa province.
Months after the Suruç attack, Turkey's capital city, Ankara, was rocked by two simultaneous suicide attacks.
The Ankara attack was the deadliest attack in the history of the Turkish Republic as 102 people were killed in the incident. Two suicide bombers detonated themselves in a rally near the capital's main train station.
According to security authorities, the Suruç attack was carried out by the Daesh terrorist organization, while the Ankara attacks were conducted by a cooperation between Daesh and the PKK terrorist group.
