At least 4 dead, many more injured in explosion in downtown Istanbul

ISTANBUL - An explosion on one of this Turkish city’s busiest shopping thoroughfares Sunday killed at least 4 people and injured 38 more, officials said.

Ali Yerlikaya, the governor of Istanbul, said in a tweet According to initial reports, 4 people lost their lives and 38 were injured in the explosion that took place on Istiklal Street.

Earlier, Yerlikaya said that an explosion occurred shortly after 4 p.m. local time, causing “casualties and injuries.”

CNN Turk reported that at least 11 people were injured in the explosion. Unverified videos shared on social media showed people running from Istiklal Street following the sound of an explosion. Some footage appeared to show bodies lying on the ground.

Ambulances could be seen racing from the scene shortly after the explosion, through throngs of tourists. Istanbul’s mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, appealed for calm on social media and called on people to assist authorities at the site.

Turkish authorities did not immediately release any information about the cause of the explosion.

Istiklal Street, sometimes called Istanbul’s Champs-Elysées, was the site of a suicide bombing in March 2016 that killed five people, including two U.S. nationals, and injured dozens more.

Timsit reported from London.