At least eight people have been killed and 81 others wounded when an explosion rocked a busy pedestrian street in central Istanbul, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called a bomb attack that “smells like terrorism”.

On Sunday, ambulances raced to the scene on the packed Istiklal avenue, which police had quickly cordoned off. The area, in the Beyoglu district of Turkey’s largest city, had been crowded as usual at the weekend with shoppers, tourists and families


The explosion occurred at about 4:20pm (13:20 GMT) on Sunday, according to officials.