News / Turkey

Explosion hits near Istanbul police station, wounds 10

Thursday, 06 October 2016 2:28 PM [ Last Update: Thursday, 06 October 2016 3:53 PM ]

Firefighters and members of police special forces are seen at the blast scene in Istanbul, Turkey, October 6, 2016. (Photo by Reuters)

At least 10 people have sustained injuries after a motorcycle bomb exploded near a police station in the Turkish city of Istanbul.

CNN-Turk television reported that the blast took place on Thursday in the district of Yenibosna on the European side of Istanbul close to Ataturk Airport.

The provincial governor, Vasip Sahin, wrote on Twitter that Thursday’s explosion was caused by a “motorcycle bomb,” adding that one of the five injured had serious wounds.

He said those injured were all civilians, adding that an investigation is underway into which group might be behind the assault.

Witnesses told CNN-Turk that they heard a powerful explosion as well as gunshots.

Television footage showed several damaged cars, broken windows and shattered glass at the scene of the bombing. Ambulances and police special forces were also deployed to the area.

Police officers work at the scene of a blast caused by a bomb placed on a motorcycle, which exploded near a police station in Istanbul, Thursday, Oct. 6, 2016. (Photo by AP)

Turkish police have sealed off the area on suspicion of a possible second explosion.

There have been no immediate claims of responsibility for Thursday’s incident.

Over the past few months, there have been a number of bomb attacks in Turkey, some blamed on the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group and some on the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is fighting for Kurdish autonomy in the country’s southeast.

In June, Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport was hit by triple bombings, which left 45 people dead. The attack was blamed on Daesh.

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