At least 38 people were reportedly injured and four died after an explosion near Taksim Square in Istanbul, according to the governor. Norwegian Paal Zanstra Krokeide was only a few hundred meters from the explosion.
Several Turkish media reported on the explosion on Sunday afternoon. Istanbul governor Ali Yerlikaya tweeted at 15:43 that at least 38 people were injured, and at least four were killed.
Photos and videos from the scene show chaotic conditions, with people lying on the street. In some of the videos, a loud bang can be heard, before people are seen fleeing the scene. Other videos show that there are a large number of emergency services on the scene.
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Huge forces of the Turkish police are on site and are evacuating the area for fear of more bombs. There are numerous ambulances and other emergency vehicles on site.
The blast was said to have occurred on Istiklal Street, a popular pedestrian street near Taksim Square. Surveillance images of the scene should show that there are many people on the street when the explosion occurs. The photos also show broken shop windows and broken glass on the ground.
The cause of the explosion is not yet known. Several messages on social media suggest that it is a suicide attack, but this has not been confirmed.
Taksim Square is a major hub in Istanbul and a popular destination for tourists. Parades and other gatherings often take place here.
Paal Zanstra Krokeide and his 14-year-old son were 200 meters from the explosion in Istanbul.
– It’s clear that I’m thinking about what could have happened if we had been a little further on, he says to VG.
Krokeide and his son were visiting central Istanbul when the bomb went off. When VG speaks to him a few minutes later, they are safely in the apartment where they will live for a week. Sirens occasionally drown out the conversation as she talks.
– You see there’s a big explosion
– My son and I were going to Taksim square. Then I feel the air pressure of the explosion. I look up and see that there is a huge explosion. I went into survival mode, grabbed my son to get us to safety. There was panic and people were running in all directions in the side streets. In such situations, it’s important to stay calm and make sure you don’t get knocked down by all the people running around, says Krokeide.
He says they made a quick getaway as soon as he heard the explosion. Krokeide says they will stay inside the apartment until they receive information from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on how to deal with the situation.
– I have already registered us on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs travel app, so they know we are here and safe and can give us messages. It is important that all Norwegian residents here in Istanbul do the same, he urges.
Krokeide usually works in the Ministry of Defence, and is on a year-long trip around the world with his wife Silje and their three children.
– Turkey is the fourth country we are in, and we arrived here yesterday. We plan to stay here for a week. Istanbul is a big city and from what I see people behave as usual. The Turkish authorities are unfortunately experts in this type of incident.
Turkey has been hit by several bomb attacks in recent years. Only in 2016 it was at least nine major terrorist attacks in the country. In 2017, at least eleven were injured and two were killed when one a car bomb exploded in the city of Izimirsimultaneously with the attack of three terrorists.
It has not been confirmed that today’s attack was a terror attack.
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