Explosion in the center of Istanbul: Three wounded

The explosion thundered in the center of the Turkish city of Istanbul on Monday at about 16:30 local time (17:30 in Moscow). According to preliminary data, three people who were taken to the hospital were injured.

The incident occurred in the historical part of Istanbul. According to the preliminary version of the police, in the area of ​​the park near Sultanhmet Square exploded, a noise checker exploded, RIA Novosti reports. The place of emergency is blocked by law enforcement agencies. Police outfits conduct an operation to search for persons who laid an explosive device.

According to the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Istanbul, Russian citizens were not injured as a result of the explosion. “According to our information, there are no Russians among the victims,” Sergei Maltsev said on Monday Interfax on the phone duty officer. According to him, all victims are local residents, there are no dead.

Earlier, the Turkish television company NTV reported that one tourist was injured in the explosion, but his national affiliation was still unknown.

Recall that as a result of the explosion late at night on Saturday, four people were injured in the central part of Istanbul, including two Algeria citizens. Plastic explosives were laid in the garbage urn next to the Internet cafe in the Kumkapi area. One of the victims of the explosion was torn off, its condition is evaluated as critical.

The police refrain from commenting on who is responsible for the Saturday explosion, but one of the employees of local law enforcement agencies said that Kurdish groups are perhaps behind the explosion. Over the past few months, several explosions have thundered in Istanbul, the liability for which the group was taken, advocating the creation of autonomous Kurdistan in the country's eastern provinces.