A bomb mounted on a bicycle near a bus stop exploded during morning rush hour in Istanbul, injuring eight people, including a police officer, officials said.

Several ambulances rushed to the scene on a multi-lane thoroughfare in a busy commercial section of the city. Television footage showed medics moving a woman with a neck brace on a stretcher into a hospital. She lost a leg during the explosion.

İstanbul Police Chief Huseyin Capkin said the bomb was not a powerful one, but was still designed to cause moderate destruction. Police were investigating whether the target was a police training school nearby.

Huseyin Avni Mutlu, Istanbul’s governor, said police were also investigating whether the bomb was time- or remote-controlled. “Our consolation in the event is that no one was killed,” Capkin said.

The police chief said one of the injured was a policeman who was passing by. He said none of the injured was in life-threatening condition. One woman however, lost a leg in the blast while another sustained severe burns to her face.

CNN-Turk reported the explosion occurred as a bus passed by, shattering its rear windows and injuring passengers in the back of the vehicle.

Five vehicles in total were damaged in the blast, Capkin said. Fearing a secondary blast, police sealed off the area with yellow tape and bomb disposal experts arrived. Investigators are still searching for clues behind the bombing in Istanbul.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility and the police chief refused to say who may be behind the attack.

Second Explosion in Taksim; Istanbul

After the chaos the bombing in the early hours has stirred, a second explosion in the touristic center Taksim occurred and caused another panic wave.

Local authorities declared it was a gas leak in a cafe-restaurant, and no one was harmed in the minor explosion.

 

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