UPDATE - 6 killed, 81 injured in Istanbul explosion: Turkish vice president

UPDATES DEATH TOLL, ADDS REMARKS FROM VICE PRESIDENT, EDITS THROUGHOUT

By Busra Nur Cakmak

ANKARA (AA) – An explosion on Istanbul's Istiklal Avenue Sunday killed six people and injured 81 others, the Turkish vice president said.

Fuat Oktay, who visited the blast site, told the press at Istanbul's Taksim Square that the blast is considered a terrorist act, and a female attacker detonated the bomb.

According to Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya, the blast occurred at around 4.20 p.m. (1320 GMT) local time, with police and emergency officials cordoning off the scene.

Earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, just before leaving for Indonesia to attend the 17th G20 summit, said the bomb attack "smells like terrorism." He said the country will not bow down to terrorism, and all perpetrators will be identified.

World leaders, including those from Pakistan, Sweden, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and other countries, have condemned the attack and sent condolences to Türkiye.