Erdogan reported that four people died at the site of the explosion and two more at the hospital.
Later, the vice president fuat oktay raised the balance of injuries from 53 to 81, two of them seriously, described the attack as a “terrorist attack” and blamed a “woman” for it, who would have “detonated the bomb”, although until late at night (the afternoon in Argentina) no organization had claimed responsibility for the act.
Condemnation of the entire political arc
“The perpetrators of this vile attack will be unmasked, so that our population is sure that they will be punished,” Erdogan declared, according to the AFP news agency.
The president warned that “attempts to plunge Turkey and the Turkish nation into terror will not achieve their goal.”
Erdogan did not give more details about the detonation, which occurred at 4:20 p.m. (10:20 in Argentina), other than saying it was a “bomb attack”, but local media said it could have been a suicide attack. For their part, the opposition parties lamented the fact.
“I wish God’s mercy for our citizens who lost their lives in the explosion on Istiklal Street, and a speedy recovery for those injured,” the leader of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), Kemal Kiliçdaroglu, posted on Twitter.
The Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) also expressed its “deep pain and sorrow for the explosion that has killed six of our fellow citizens and injured 53 others,” reported the Europa Press agency.
“Our regret and pain is great; we wish God’s mercy to the citizens who have lost their lives,” he added.
Finally, the Good Party (Iyi) repudiated the fact through its president, Meral Aksener. “I strongly condemn this vile attack; we would like those responsible to be caught as soon as possible,” she said.
Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu visited the site. “I was informed by the fire teams in Istiklal. They continue their work in coordination with the police,” he said on Twitter, offering his condolences to the victims and their families.
The attack, filmed
Videos uploaded to social networks showed a large flare and people lying on the street, amid material damage. In the videos a loud roar is heard shortly before the flames are seen.
Firefighters, police and medical teams were deployed in the area, where many tourist attractions are located, and which was cordoned off.
Istiklal Avenue, or Independence Avenue, is one of the busiest streets in the city, especially for tourists from all over the world, and is home to numerous businesses. A tram that is one of the icons of Istanbul runs through it.
The Superior Council of Broadcasting and Television (RTÜK) quickly prohibited the media from broadcasting images of the scene.
The objective is “to avoid sowing fear, panic and agitation in society and to serve the objectives of terrorist organizations”, justified the director of presidential communication and adviser to President Erdogan, Farhettin Altun.
“All the institutions and organizations of our State carry out a fast, meticulous and effective investigation into the incident,” he promised in a statement.
Access to social media was also restricted after the attack, according to online restrictions watchdog Netblocks.
In turn, some activities, as the match between Besiktas and Antalyaspor for the Super League, Turkey’s first football division, was postponed because the former’s stadium is near the site of the explosion and in 2016 there was an attack in the surrounding area, according to the Trt chain , quoted by the ANSA news agency.
Among the international reactions, that of Greece stood out, a country with which Turkey maintains a dispute over the islands in the Aegean Sea and a cross rhetoric regarding the migratory contingents in the area.
“Greece unequivocally condemns terrorism, and we express our sincere condolences to the Turkish government and people,” the Greek Foreign Ministry said in a statement, quoted by the Sputnik agency.
In addition, he stressed that the Greek consulate general was in permanent contact with the local authorities, and that, according to reports, there were no Greeks among the victims.
The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, and the Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Jens Stoltenberg, also expressed their condolences.
“Horrible news from Istiklal (street) in Istanbul. Our thoughts are with the people of Turkey and the families of the victims of the attack that took place this afternoon. I wish the injured a speedy recovery,” Borrell wrote on his Twitter account.
The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, also gave his “condolences to the victims of the explosion” on the same social network.
While, A spokesman for the Argentine consulate in Istanbul said, consulted by Télam, that until tonight he was not aware that there were Argentine citizens among the victims.
The city authorities “have not informed the foreign representations about the nationality of the victims,” he explained, adding that until then they had not received inquiries about the whereabouts of Argentines in that city.
Istiklal Avenue had already been the scene of attacks in the past, especially during the years 2015-16, when Istanbul and other cities such as Ankara, the capital, suffered a series of attacks.
Source: Ambito
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