A loud explosion was heard in Turkey’s major city of Istanbul on Sunday afternoon, with Turkish media reporting at least five dead and dozens wounded.
Footage on social media showed ambulances, firetrucks, and police at the scene. The cause of the explosion was not immediately clear.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry said it was in touch with its envoys in Turkey to establish if there were any Israelis harmed in the incident.
According to Channel 13 News, at least one Israeli was reportedly hurt in the explosion. But Israel’s Foreign Ministry said, “There is no known [information] currently about an Israeli who has lost contact.”
Turkey’s NTV television channel reported that there were “at least five to 10 injured” and showed emergency services and police deployed to the scene.
The area has been evacuated.

Images shared on social media at the time of the explosion indicated it could be heard from far away and that there were also flames.
A wide black crater was also visible in the images as well as several bodies on the ground nearby.
Istiklal Avenue was affected during a series of attacks targeting Istanbul in 2015-2016 claimed by the Islamic State group. Three Israeli tourists were among those killed in a 2016 suicide bombing.
i24NEWS / ScreenshotScreenshot of video sent to i24NEWS of the scene of an explosion in Istanbul, Turkey, on November 13, 2022.