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A bomb explosion on a busy Istanbul street killed at least six people and injured more than 50 others in what Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called "a heinous attack".
Key points:
- The explosion occurred around 4:20pm local time in central Istanbul's Beyoglu district
- Istanbul's Governor Ali Yerlikaya confirmed at least 6 people had been killed
- An investigation is underway looking into the cause of the explosion
Ambulances rushed to the scene on the packed Istiklal Avenue on Sunday afternoon, which police quickly cordoned off.
The area, in the city's Beyoglu district, had been crowded with shoppers, tourists and families, TRT and other media reported.
"Efforts to defeat Turkey and the Turkish people through terrorism will fail today just as they did yesterday and as they will fail again tomorrow," Mr Erdogan told a news conference.
"Our people can rest assured that the culprits behind the attack will be punished as they deserve," he said, adding that initial information suggested "a woman played a part" in it.
"It would be wrong to say this is undoubtedly a terrorist attack but the initial developments and initial intelligence from my governor is that it smells like terrorism," Mr Erdogan said.
State-owned Anadolu agency said the cause of the blast was not yet known and that five prosecutors had been assigned to investigate the explosion.
Footage on social media showed ambulances, fire trucks and police at the scene.
Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya tweeted the death toll and said those injured were being treated.
"There was a loss of life and injuries," Mr Yerlikaya said, adding that the explosion occurred around 4:20pm local time.
He said developments "will be shared with the public".
"My condolences to those who lost their lives in the explosion on Istiklal Avenue," Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu said on Twitter.
The nearby Kasimpasa police station said all crews were at the scene but gave no further details.
A Reuters reporter saw a helicopter overhead and several ambulances in nearby Taksim Square.
People frozen in fear moments after blast
"When I heard the explosion, I was petrified, people froze, looking at each other," said Mehmet Akus, 45, a worker in a restaurant on Istiklal.
"Then people started running away. What else can you do," he said.
"My relatives called me, they know I work on Istiklal. I reassured them."
Local media said inspectors were on the scene. The Turkish Red Crescent said blood was being transferred to nearby hospitals.
Turkey's RTUK regulator imposed a broadcast ban on coverage of the blast around an hour after it occurred.
Nobody has claimed responsibility for the blast but Istanbul and other Turkish cities have been targeted in the past by Kurdish separatists, Islamist militants and other groups, including in a series of attacks in 2015 and 2016.
Reuters/AP