Police bus blast in Istanbul kills 11, 36 injured

A bomb blast in Istanbul on Tuesday targeted at police bus has left 11 people killed and 36 others injured.

Officials say the blast was a remote-controlled device, was reportedly detonated as the vehicle passed through the busy Vezneciler district during the morning rush hour.

Although no group has claimed responsibility for the blast, violence in Turkey has escalated recently as a result of tensions with Kurdish separatists and the conflict in neighbouring Syria.

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The explosion was said to have happened near the city’s historic Beyazit Square neighbourhood, a major tourist attraction.

The blast which injured a least 36 other people with the possibility of more death; was learnt that nearby buildings were also damaged.

Although the governor was said to have reacted to the blast, armed police were immediately deployed even though there were reports of gunfire heard in the area after the blast.