At least 11 killed in Istanbul bomb blast

A bomb attack targeting a police vehicle in a central Istanbul district has killed at least 11 people, including seven members of the police force, the city’s governor has said.

“Seven police and four citizens lost their lives,” Vasip Sahin, Istanbul’s governor, told reporters at the scene on Monday. Thirty-six people were injured, three of them seriously, he added.

President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday the country’s fight against armed groups will continue “to the end”. Speaking to reporters after visiting some of the injured in a hospital near the site of the blast, Erdogan said the attack was “unforgivable”.

The bombing came during the first days of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month, a time marked by dawn-to-dusk fasting and intense prayer. 

Source: Agencies