Police sealed the area, barring people from approaching in case of a second explosion.
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The Istanbul governor’s office said the authorities were investigating the type of explosive used and who might have been responsible.
Turkey has been on high alert after a series of attacks blamed on the Islamic State jihadist group including a double suicide bombing in the capital Ankara in October that left 103 people dead.
Officials are working to verify whether any Britons were killed in a suspected suicide bombing in an area of Istanbul popular with tourists, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond has said.
The blast went off in the Sultanahmet Square, next to the city’s famous Blue Mosque landmark, at 10.20am local time according to Turkish newspaper Hurriyet. Police cordoned off the area to shocked passers-by and tourists and the nearby tram service has been halted.
Turkey’s Dogan news agency reported that at least six Germans, one Norwegian and one Peruvian were among the wounded, and Seoul’s Foreign Ministry told reporters via text message that one South Korean had a finger injury. It was unclear whether the number included the alleged bomber.
“The explosion was so loud, the ground shook. there was a very heavy smell that burned my nose”, a German tourist named Caroline told AFP.
“We heard a loud sound and I looked at the sky to see if it was raining because I thought it was thunder but the sky was clear”, said Kuwaiti tourist Farah Zamani, 24, who was shopping at one of the covered bazaars with her father and sister. “Then I saw a ball of fire, and started to run away”.
Just over a year ago, a female suicide bomber blew herself up at a police station for tourists off the same square, killing one officer and wounding another.
The authorities imposed a broadcast ban on reporting of the attack, prompting television channels to halt live broadcasting from the scene although factual commentaries continued.
More than 30 people were killed in an Islamic State suicide attack in the town of Suruc, near Turkey’s border with Syria, in July. “The attack in Turkey is a very big wound but numerous attackers hide and grow in the heart of Europe”.
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Another 15 people were injured, the Turkish city said.
