A
number of people have been injured following an explosion in a busy
area in central Istanbul, the Turkish city's governor has said.
Ali
Yerlikaya said the blast happened at about at about 16:20 local time
(13:20 GMT) on Twitter, adding there had been "casualties and injuries".
It is unclear what caused the explosion, which appears to have been captured on numerous videos circulating on social media.
Emergency services are on the scene.
There
has been no official confirmation of numbers hurt on Istiklal Street,
although some local media reports suggest at least 11 people were
injured.
BBC
correspondent Orla Guerin, who is at the scene, said there was a heavy
police presence around the street, which had been cordoned off.
Helicopters were circling overhead as ambulances went back and forth.
The street - usually packed with shoppers - was previously targeted by a suicide bomber in 2016.
