International Desk: At least six people were killed and 53 others injured in an explosion in a busy area of central Istanbul of Turkey, the Turkish official said.

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The Turkish city's governor Ali Yerlikaya told the blast occurred at a shopping street in the Taksim Square area. It is yet unknown what caused the explosion.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told that the perpetrators would be punished.

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Accourding to BBC, there was a heavy police presence around Istiklal Street, which had been cordoned off. Helicopters were circling overhead as ambulances went back and forth.

Eyewitness Cemal Denizci said "I saw three or four people on the ground," he told AFP.

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"People were running in panic... There was black smoke. The noise was so strong, almost deafening," he said.

The street, usually packed with shoppers, was previously targeted by a suicide bomber in 2016.

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