Bomb explosion at popular Istanbul shopping street leaves 6 dead, dozens injured

Six people were killed and dozens wounded after a bomb exploded on a popular tourist destination in Istanbul on Sunday.

Footage from the scene on Istiklal Avenue's shopping strip showed people fleeing from flames moments after the pedestrian street, typically crowded with tourists and locals alike, was bombed. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that perpetrators would be punished. Istanbul's governor reported 53 people wounded from the “treacherous attack," Erdogan said.

In the past, Turkey's Supreme Council of Radio and Television restricted news outlets and social media users from spreading close-up images of blasts and the aftermath of explosions in reports, which the country's media watchdog has imposed again. Businesses were shuttered and the avenue closed down after the bombing, the Associated Press reported.

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The blast will be investigated by five prosecutors, Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency reported.

Sunday's explosion was a reminder of the anxiety and safety concerns that unsettled the Turkish population seven years ago, when the country was attacked by a string of deadly bombings between 2015 and 2017 — carried out by the Islamic State group and Kurdish militants who sought increased autonomy.

Contributing: The Associated Press

Camille Fine is a trending visual producer on USA TODAY's NOW team.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Istanbul bomb explosion: Blast kills 6 people and injures dozens