Turkey: Suspect arrested hours after blast rocks Istanbul

"The person who planted the bomb was detained by the Istanbul Police Department. Before that, about 21 more people had been detained," Soylu was quoted as saying by TRT World.

Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca told TRT World 39 out of 81 people who were wounded during the suspected terror attack were discharged from the hospital.

“Five of the 42 wounded are in the intensive care unit, two of them in critical condition,” Koca said.

The blast occurred at around 4:20 pm local time.

Security personnel and emergency service providers rushed to the spot after the blast.

Several footage of the venue and the moment of the blast are currently circulating on the social media.

Based on initial information from Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the explosion could be an act of terrorism, reports TRT World.

"It would be wrong to say this is undoubtedly a terrorist attack, but the initial developments and initial intelligence from my governor is that it smells like terrorism," Erdogan said.

Meanwhile, India condemned the blast as MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted: "India conveys its deepest condolences to the Government and people of Türkiye on the tragic loss of lives in the blast that took place in Istanbul today. Our sympathies are also with those who sustained injuries. We wish them a speedy recovery."

Check out the moment of the blast as posted by Twitter users: