At least one person is dead after an explosion was reported near a metro station in Istanbul, Turkey. Multiple media outlets are reporting the explosion. Although at first officials thought the blast was caused by a power transformer, Turkish broadcaster NTV is now reporting that a bomb (possibly homemade) may have caused it.
Widespread subway service stoppage in Istanbul
According to Reuters, all train operations at Istanbul’s Bayrampasa metro station have been halted. The media outlet cited a city official for that information. The Associated Press reports that the suspension of metro services is more widespread, however, and that Istanbul’s entire subway network has suspended service.
The explosion was reported at around 5:15 p.m. local time in Istanbul. The BBC reports that the blast could be heard from multiple areas of the city. According to Sky News, the mayor of the Bayrampasa district in Istanbul said the blast actually happened on an overpass close to the metro station rather than inside the station and that a pipe bomb caused it.
The explosion didn’t cause a fire but did break the windows on some nearby cars, an eyewitness told the BBC.
Exact casualty count unknown
Local media outlets in Turkey are reporting that the explosion caused multiple casualties, and some outlets are reporting one death, while others are reporting that several people were injured. CNBC pegs the number of injuries at five and the number of deaths at one. Turkish news outlet Dogan reports that many ambulanes were dispatched to the scene.
A photo that has been shared on social media (one seen above) show dozens of people walking next to some of the subway tracks underground as passengers evacuated the stations.
