The explosion occurred just after 10:00 local time (08:00 GMT) in the city's historic Sultanahmet district, close to the Blue Mosque.
Ambulances rushed to the scene and police have sealed off the area.
Some local reports suggest the explosion was caused by a suicide bomber.
The BBC's Mark Lowen in Istanbul says in recent months there have been sporadic attacks by a far left group in Istanbul, while violence has soared between Turkish forces and PKK Kurdish militants, mainly in southeast Turkey, after a ceasefire broke down.
Turkey has also been hit by bomb attacks blamed by prosecutors on the so-called Islamic State group. Two suicide blasts in the capital Ankara in October killed more than 100 people and more than 30 people were killed in an attack near the border with Syria in July...
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12/1/16
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Casualties reported after blast rocks central Istanbul...
ReplyDeleteA large explosion rocked an historic square popular with tourists in central Istanbul Tuesday, witnesses said, with Turkish media reporting several casualties.
Witnesses reported hearing a loud blast at the square in the Sultanahmet district of the Turkish city and video footage on the CNN Turk channel showed police and ambulances at the scene.
The cause of the explosion was not immediately clear.
Police sealed the area, barring people from approaching in case of a second explosion.
The Sultanahmet neighbourhood is Istanbul's main sight-seeing area and includes the Topkapi Palace and Blue Mosque.
Turkey suffered two major bombing attacks last year.
More than 30 people were killed in an Islamic State group suicide attack in the town of Suruc, near Turkey's border with Syria, in July........http://www.france24.com/en/20160112-turkey-blast-rocks-central-istanbul-police-casualties
In dem bei Touristen beliebten Altstadtviertel Sultanahmet in der türkischen Millionenmetropole Istanbul ist es zu einer Explosion gekommen...
ReplyDeleteDie Behörden gehen von bislang zehn Toten und 15 Verletzten aus. Nach Angaben von Augenzeugen sollen sowohl deutsche als auch britische Touristen unter den Opfern sein.
Die Polizei hat den Platz inzwischen weiträumig abgesperrt. Auf Fernsehbildern war zu sehen, wie zahlreiche Rettungswagen in das Viertel fuhren.
Die Ursache der Explosion ist noch unklar. Die türkische Zeitung Sabah schreibt von einem Selbstmordattentat. Auch der Sender CNN Türk berichtet, dass die Polizei von einem terroristischen Anschlag ausgeht....zeit.de