DHAKA: Five people were killed and at least 20 others were injured in a suicide bomb attack on March 19 in central Istanbul, on the busy İstiklal Avenue in Taksim.

The attack happened on Balo Street in front of the local governor’s office of Beyoğlu, and a through investigation has been launched into the attack, Istanbul Gov. Vasip Şahin told reporters.

The pedestrian street was completely sealed off and police officers and ambulances were deployed to the area, reports hurriyeetdailynews.com.

According to a CNNTürk reporter on the scene, the suicide attacker was on his way to the actual target when the bomb went off in front of a döner kebab restaurant.

Doğan News Agency reported that six injured victims were taken to the Haseki Hospital, and one of them was in critical condition, while there were two injured in critical condition at Şişli Etfal Hospital.

The attack in Istanbul came six days after a suicide car bomb attack in the heart of the capital city of Ankara, which killed 37 people.

The attack in Ankara was claimed by the Kurdistan Freedom Hawks (TAK), a terror group linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

The group described the car bombing, which occurred on March 13, as “vengeful action” for security operations against the PKK militants in town centers in the southeast that have been underway since July. 
 
TAK previously claimed responsibility for a separate car bombing in Ankara last month that killed 29 people.

BDST: 1709 HRS, MAR 19, 2016
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** Explosion rocks central Istanbul