At Least 13 Killed, 20 Wounded as Explosions Hit Central Istanbul
Two blasts have been reported in near the landmark Taksim Square in Istanbul, private broadcaster CNN Türk says.
A death toll has not been offiially confirmed, but at least 13 have been killed according to Reuters, which cites security officials' data. Al Jazeera puts the number at 15.
Twenty people have been left wounded.
Two explosions have been followed by gunshots. The development may have been linked to a football match between Bursaspor and Beşiktaş. The latter team's home is Vodafone Arena stadium, in the area of which the explosions have occurred and where a game was held earlier in the evening.
Daily Sabah newspaper argues all wounded people are police officers.
There is "no information" on the number of dead, it quotes Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu as saying.
Allegedly, a car bomb was involved in the incident.
#BREAKING Turkish Interior Minister says explosion likely caused by car bomb, most of the wounded in Istanbul blast are riot police pic.twitter.com/FNdmX90due
— CNN Türk ENG (@CNNTURK_ENG) December 10, 2016
NTV channel, quoted by Al Jazeera, says the target was a police vehicles.
On social media, footage appeared showing one of the blasts as seen from the distance.
Patlama anı amatör kameraya böyle yansıdı. #patlama pic.twitter.com/YniRkDWuKX
— Beşiktaş çArşı (@BesiktascArsi) December 10, 2016
Police have begun evacuating the area, according to Al Jazeera reports.
English-language Hürriyet Daily News reports Turkey's Radio and Television Supreme Council as saying there is a gag order on reporting the development.
There are no immediate reports about Bulgarian casualties, Bulgarian bTV broadcaster quotes Sofia's Embassy to Ankara as saying.