 on Istiklal Street. He described there being both "casualties and injuries" in a Twitter post, without offering further details.BBC Turkce says the area has been cordoned off.This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.){kind=link}
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Crowds run from explosion in central Istanbul
At least six people have been killed and 81 wounded in an explosion in a busy area of central Istanbul, Turkish authorities have said.
The blast happened at about 16:20 local time (13:20 GMT) on a shopping street in the Taksim Square area, the Turkish city’s governor Ali Yerlikaya said.
Vice-President Fuat Oktay said the blast was thought to be a terrorist attack carried out by a woman.