At least 10 dead in Istanbul tourist site explosion; tourism authorities urgently checking if any Taiwanese are affected

▲ A bombing incident has occurred in the major Turkish city of Istanbul, and the area has been urgently cordoned off. (Photo / Sourced from Doğan News Agency)

Reported by Lai Wen-xuan / Taipei

A bombing incident has occurred at the famous historical tourist site Sultanahmet Square in Istanbul, Turkey, leaving at least 10 dead and 15 injured. Foreign media have also reported that the scene was littered with dismembered body parts, and footage of the explosion has been widely circulated, which is extremely shocking.

The explosion took place in central Istanbul at the Sultanahmet Mosque (Sultanahmet), with the exact cause of the blast still unclear. However, it is reported to have been a suicide bomb attack. According to eyewitnesses, the explosion was very loud, with the ground covered in the remains of victims. Police have now cordoned off Sultanahmet Square.

▲ An explosion has occurred at Sultanahmet Square in Istanbul, Turkey, and the current casualty situation is unclear. (Photo / Sourced from Wikipedia)

The Tourism Bureau has also contacted major travel agencies organizing tours to Turkey, including 14 operators such as Lion Travel, U-Tour International, Triumph, ShinAn, Hsing Chien, GoldenShow, Masterpiece, WuFu, Lily, Royal International Express, Kennys, Huayou, Jipeng, and Galilee. They have indicated that the current period is the low season for travel to Turkey (November to March of the following year), and preliminary statistics show that no tour groups were at the site of the explosion.