Explosion in the heart of Turkey’s Istanbul kills 8, wounds 81

At least eight people have been killed and 81 others wounded when an explosion rocked a busy pedestrian street in central Istanbul, in what President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called a bomb attack that “smells like terrorism”.

Speaking before his departure to the Group of 20 (G20) summit in Indonesia on Sunday, Erdogan said the explosion was a “treacherous attack” and pledged that its perpetrators would be punished.

“Our people can rest assured that the culprits behind the attack will be punished as they deserve,” he said at a press conference, 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,” Erdogan said.