Two Istanbul Blasts Kill at least 13, Injure Dozens

At least 13 people were reportedly killed, and several dozens more injured in two separate blasts which allegedly targeted Turkish security forces in the vicinity of Besiktas stadium in Istanbul, according to RT.

The explosion killed at least 13 people, Reuters reported, citing security sources.

According to the Interior Minister, Suleyman Soylu, two separate explosions happened, one outside the stadium and another one near Macka Park. Turkish broadcaster NTV cited the minister as saying that one of the blasts was a suicide bomb. The blast outside the stadium happened at around 10:30pm local time, more than an hour after the end of the match.

 The blast likely targeted a riot police bus, the minister said.

 “It is thought that it was a car bomb at a point where our special police forces were located, right after the match at the exit where Bursaspor fans left, after the fans departed,” the Guardian quoted Soylu as saying.

Police, according to a reporter from Istanbul, immediately intervened with water cannon to extinguish the fires caused by the explosion.

Rescue units are currently working at the scene, he stressed.

H.M