By Xinhua,
Ankara : Sixteen people including a three-year-old child were killed and 154 others injured in two separate bomb attacks in Gungoren neighborhood of Istanbul late Sunday, the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported on Monday.
Two bombs exploded minutes apart in one of Istanbul’s busy shopping districts, according to the report.
“It is certain that this is a terror attack,” Istanbul Governor Muammer Guler said.
“The bombs were placed in rubbish bins. It was not a suicide bombing. The blasts occurred in a very busy district and this raised the casualties. Sixteen citizens lost their lives in this heinous attack,” he said.
Guler said the bombs were quite powerful and caused heavy damage in the neighborhood.
“We know it is a terrorist attack, but which organization is responsible, we don’t yet have that information,” State Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Hayati Yazici said after visiting the scene of the attacks.
Police cordoned off scenes of the explosions to collect evidence.
Witnesses said that the second explosion was more powerful than the first one.
Ramazan Ekici, one of the witnesses, was quoted as saying, “the first explosion occurred at about 9:45 p.m. local time. Then, we heard a second and stronger blast some 8-10 minutes later. Many people were injured in the second blast after they rushed to the area to help the casualties of the first explosion. The avenue where the explosions occurred was closed to traffic and there were many people walking around.”
A crisis center was set up at the Governor’s Office after the explosions.
The center said that 14 of the injured people were in critical condition.
Soon after the explosions, Turkish President Abdullah Gul strongly condemned the bomb attacks, saying, “I condemn those who are responsible for these inhuman attacks displaying the brutality of terrorism and targeting innocent people. I want to reiterate once again that determination and power of our people and state will not allow those who aim at harming our unity and tranquility with gory acts of terror, to reach their heinous targets.
“No one can reach their goals by claiming lives of innocent people in acts of violence,” he said.
President Gul offered his condolences to those who lost their beloved ones.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan also released a message and strongly condemned the bomb attacks, saying, “Those who are responsible for these attacks will be brought to justice as soon as possible. Such attacks consolidate our determination in the fight against terrorism. I believe that our people will give the strongest response to these heinous attacks by strengthening their unity and solidarity.”