Istanbul bomb attack on police bus Taken 11 Lives

Violence in Turkey has escalated recently as a result of tensions with Kurdish separatists and the conflict in neighbouring Syria.

A car bomb attack targeting a police bus has killed at least 11 people in central Istanbul, officials said.

The explosives were remotely detonated as the vehicle passed through the busy Vezneciler district at the morning rush hour, reports said.

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

Reports said gunfire was heard in the area after the blast.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Four civilians and seven police officers were among the dead, Istanbul’s governor, Vasip Sahin, said. Some 36 other people were injured, he added.