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Blast in central Istanbul main shopping street kills 2, injures 2 - media

At least two people have been killed, and two others are reported wounded after an explosion rocked the main shopping street in central Istanbul, according to local media citing police radio.

UPDATING SOON

An explosion at a major tourist shopping area in the Turkish city of Istanbul has injured a number of people, Turkish media say.

Pictures showed people running away in panic, with police and ambulance vehicles rushing to the scene.

The area - Istiklal Street - is reportedly crowded at weekends.

Last Sunday, an explosion in the Turkish capital, Ankara killed 37 people. Kurdish militant group TAK claimed that attack.

The TAK, an offshoot of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), said that was in revenge for Turkish military operations in the mainly Kurdish south-east.

An explosion has reportedly hit a shopping area in Istanbul popular with tourists.

Turkish media reported that several people were wounded in the blast in İstiklal Avenue, also known as Istiklal Street, but casualty figures could not immediately be confirmed.

An unconfirmed report from CNN Turk claimed at least two people were dead and seven injured after a possible suicide bombing.

Helicopters and ambulances were seen converging on the scene as rescue efforts continued.

With the world's press all trying to gain information on this latest bomb, it seems as though there is a blackout

Has Turkey blocked Twitter and Facebook again?

Four people were killed and at least 20 others were injured in a suicide bomb attack on March 19 in central Istanbul, on the busy İstiklal Avenue in Taksim.

The attack happened on Balo Street near the Demirören Mall and one of the killed was the attacker, IStanbul Gov. Vasip Şahin said in a statement.

The pedestrian street was completely sealed off and police officers and ambulances were deployed to the area.

According to a CNNTürk reporter on the scene, the suicide attacker was on his way to the actual target when the bomb went off in front of a döner kebab restaurant.

Doğan News Agency reported that six injured victims were taken to the Haseki Hospital, and one of them was in critical condition, while there were two injured in critical condition at Şişli Etfal Hospital.

I hour on and still very little information

WHY?

This is the 2016 the time of instant everything

I firmly believe several media and social network sites have been blocked

Five killed, at least 36 injured in suicide attack in central Istanbul

Five people were killed and at least 36 others were injured in a suicide bomb attack on March 19 in central Istanbul, on the busy İstiklal Avenue in Taksim.

The attack happened on Balo Street in front of the local governor’s office of Beyoğlu, and a through investigation has been launched into the attack, Istanbul Gov. Vasip Şahin told reporters.

Turkish Health Minister Mehmet Müezzinoğlu said 36 people, including 14 foreign national were injured, and seven were in critical condition.

Three Israeli citizens were among the injured, Doğan News Agency reported.

Israel's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon confirmed Israeli citizens were injured, but could not confirm the number of Israelis harmed nor what condition they were in.

The pedestrian street was completely sealed off and police officers and ambulances were deployed to the area.

According to a CNNTürk reporter on the scene, the suicide attacker was on his way to the actual target when the bomb went off in front of a döner kebab restaurant.

Doğan News Agency reported that six injured victims were taken to the Haseki Hospital, and one of them was in critical condition, while there were two injured in critical condition at Şişli Etfal Hospital.

Skin, the lead singer of the world-renown British band Skunk Anansie, was among the witnesses of the attack.

“Massive bomb blast outside our hotel, I'm ok, very shaken, people dead, awful scenes,” the singer wrote on her official Twitter account.

Turkish Minister of Health Mehmet Müezzinoğlu made a statement about today's suicide attack that hit İstiklal Street, one of the busiest avenues in the province of Istanbul.

The Minister said 5 people died in the bomb attack, and these include one suicide bomber. 36 others suffered injuries in the attack and 7 of these are in critical condition, while 4 have been taken under surgery. According to the Minister, 12 of those wounded are foreigners.

Five people were killed and at least 36 others were injured in a suicide bomb attack on March 19 in central Istanbul, on the busy İstiklal Avenue in Taksim.

The attack happened on Balo Street in front of the local governor’s office of Beyoğlu, and a through investigation has been launched into the attack, Istanbul Gov. Vasip Şahin told reporters.

Turkish Health Minister Mehmet Müezzinoğlu said 36 people, including 12 foreign nationals and a child, were injured, and seven of the victims in hospitals were in critical condition.

Three Israeli citizens were among the injured, Doğan News Agency reported.

Israel's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon confirmed Israeli citizens were injured, but could not confirm the number of Israelis harmed nor what condition they were in.

A senior Turkish official told Reuters that initial findings indicate that the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) or an affiliate carried out the bombing.

The attacker was deterred from an initial target by police and detonated the bomb "out of fear", the official said.

The pedestrian street was completely sealed off after the attack.

Turkey's Supreme Board of Radio and Television (RTÜK) imposed a temporary ban on broadcasting pictures and video footage from the scene of the attack.

According to a statement from the board, the ban includes live broadcasts from the blast site, footage from the time the blast took place and afterwards, and showing images of bodies.

The attack also drew international reactions.

“Saddened, shocked by explosion on Istiklal. We mourn with families of the lost, and we wish the injured a speedy recovery,” the U.S. Embassy in Turkey said on its official Twitter account.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said in a statement that the attack was "despicable and cowardly.”

Germany, which kept its embassy in Ankara and consulate in Istanbul closed on March 17 and March 18 upon on an intelligence of a terror attack threat, warned its citizens in Istanbul after the attack to stay in their hotels and follow the media for security updates.

Skin, the lead singer of the world-renown British band Skunk Anansie, was among the witnesses of the attack.

“Massive bomb blast outside our hotel, I'm ok, very shaken, people dead, awful scenes,” the singer wrote on her official Twitter account.

There were no immediate claims of responsibility, but Israeli media reported that the bomber had been identified as a Turkish national, Sabash Yildiz, 33, who was believed to be affiliated with the Islamic State.

Today's (Sunday 20 March) news

Turkey's interior minister on Sunday identified the suicide bomber who killed himself and four foreign tourists in Istanbul as a militant with links to the Islamic State group.

Minister Efkan Ala said the bomber was Turkish citizen Mehmet Ozturk, who was born in 1992 in Gaziantep province, which borders Syria. He said Ozturk was not on any list of wanted suspects and five other people were detained as part of the investigation.

Saturday's explosion killed five people, including Ozturk, and wounded dozens of others. Among the fatalities were two American-Israelis, another Israeli and an Iranian. The attack targeted Istanbul's pedestrian Istiklal Street, which is lined with shops and cafes in an area that also has government offices and foreign missions.

"The identity of the terrorist who carried out this reprehensible attack has been determined...The findings obtained show that the terrorist is linked to the Daesh terror organization," the minister said, using an alternative acronym for IS.