An Italian student who survived the bomb attack in Istanbul, Turkey, told of his horror after reaching safety.
At least six people were killed and more than 81 injured in what is being treated as a terror attack after a huge blast hit Istanbul’s busiest shopping street.
Dramatic CCTV footage showed the moment when the bomb detonated, sending a fireball ripping through the street as pedestrians ran away.
In another video, an overturned pram can be seen lying on the pavement with children appearing to be among those injured.
Ali Yerlikaya, the governor of Istanbul, said that the explosion took place after 4pm local time (1pm GMT), killing at least six people and injuring 81 more.
Speaking to the Mirror a few hours after the attack, Massimo D’Angelo, 30, said he feels lucky to be alive after walking down Istiklal Avenue when a bomb detonated.
The Loughborough University PhD candidate said a perfect autumn sunny day “turned into a nightmare.”
Harrowing footage from the wake of the blast shows bodies strewn in the street and while it remains unclear what caused today's explosion, footage reportedly shows a woman dropping a bag on a bench shortly before the blast.
A female suspect has since been arrested after police released a CCTV image of a woman fleeing the scene moments before the explosion, wearing a hijab, a leather jacket and camouflage combat trousers.
Turkey’s Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu confirmed the suspected culprit has been detained.
Mr D’Angelo from Ascoli in Italy, said: "I was with my colleagues and classmates, we had been to a museum and decided to go get a coffee. We were walking from Taksim Square to Galata and had to cross Istiklal.
“Suddenly we heard boom, boom and then it went silent. I think everyone took a few seconds to figure out what was going on. I thought is this a mass shooting?
“But then I could smell what I think was gunpowder. The smell was like something was burning but it was really strange, I really remember the smell.
"Then I saw hundreds if not thousands of people running and shouting.
"The rest is a blur, I don't remember anything after that was just running down towards the sea because I thought that would be safe.”
Speaking before his departure to the G-20 summit in Indonesia, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called the explosion a “treacherous attack” and said its perpetrators would be punished.
“Our people can rest assured that the culprits behind the attack will be punished as they deserve,” he said at a press conference, adding that initial information suggested, “a woman played a part” in the first attack in Istanbul in almost six years.
İstiklal Caddesi is a crowded thoroughfare popular with tourists and locals, lined by shops and restaurants that tourists often visit but also where thousands of Turks go to work, eat, get a coffee, pray and meet people.
Mr D’Angelo said he has never run so fast in his life.
He continued: “I saw people in front of me trying to hide under some tables, it made me very scared. I was thinking if there are other bombs, where should we go? What should we do? I really didn't know. I mean, luckily it was the first time and I hope the last time it happened.
“Afterwards all we could hear were loads of sirens from ambulances, police, and helicopters all around the city.”
“I'm not exaggerating it was just a few minutes of difference. So I feel like I sort of survivor.”
Internet users in Istanbul have been experiencing difficulties getting online and accessing social media and the Turkish media regulator imposed a ban on sharing footage of the explosion or reports except for government statements.
Mr D’Angelo has a VPN from the university installed on his phone which, he says, is the only way he has been able to contact friends in the city as well as relatives back home.
Turkey’s communications watchdog confirmed that it has been deliberately throttling traffic for social media to block images “violating press ethics and [spreading] terrorist content”.
Istanbul experienced a series of devastating terrorist attacks between 2015 and 2016 attributed to ISIS militants.
In March 2016, a suicide bombing on the same street killed five people.
