Yusuf Meydan and his daughter, Ecrin, were among those who perished.
At least six people, including a small girl and her father, have perished in a suspected terrorist attack in Istanbul.
An explosion shook a popular pedestrian area in the heart of Istanbul on Sunday afternoon, prompting the Turkish president to describe the incident as a “bomb attack” that “reeks of terrorism.”
At least 81 people were hurt, and investigators believe a woman may be responsible for the explosion.
Yusuf Meydan and his daughter, Ecrin, were among those who perished.
Derya Yanik, the Turkish minister of family and social services, stated, “I curse this malicious attack that resulted in the deaths of a father and his daughter.
“As a state, we stand with all our resources by the families of our slain brothers and sisters and by our wounded citizens. No force of evil will be able to undermine our togetherness and cohesion.”
Earlier, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that those responsible for terrorism “will fail today, just as they failed yesterday and will fail again tomorrow.”
“Our people can rest assured that those responsible for the attack will be appropriately punished,” he said.
He stated that preliminary evidence indicated that “a woman was involved” in the incident.
“It would be incorrect to state categorically that this is a terrorist attack, but first developments and intelligence from my governor indicate that it smells like terrorism.”
Bekir Bozdag, minister of justice, stated that authorities are seeking a lady observed near the explosive site.
“We’ve been told that a woman is observed sitting on one of the benches there for more than forty minutes, then she gets up, and a minute or two later, an explosion occurs,” he said.
I was frightened
Moments after the explosion, the footage shows terrified individuals fleeing the site.
“When I heard the explosion, I was terrified; people stood still, staring at one another. Then, individuals began to flee the scene. What else can you do,” restaurant worker Mehmet Akus remarked.
“My relatives called, as they are aware that I work on Istiklal. I assured them,” he added.
The incident will be investigated by five prosecutors, according to the state-run Anadolu news agency.
There has been no claim of responsibility for the incident.
A prohibition on broadcasting is imposed
A little over an hour after the explosion, the RTUK regulator in Turkey prohibited coverage of the incident. It prohibits broadcasters from displaying videos of the explosion or its aftermath.
Istiklal Avenue is a prominent tourist and local pedestrian route lined with stores and restaurants.
Between 2015 and 2017, Islamic State and illegal Kurdish factions carried out several deadly bombs in Turkey.
