Istanbul blast: 11 dead in bomb attack on police vehicle

The remote-controlled device exploded as a shuttle bus carrying police officers was passing in the Beyazit district of the city on Tuesday morning.

Governor Vasip Sahin said seven of the dead were police officers, and three of the injured were in a critical condition.

Ambulances and fire engines were dispatched to the scene. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Turkey is on high security alert after two deadly attacks in Istanbul this year blamed on Islamic State jihadis, and twin attacks in Ankara that killed dozens and were claimed by Kurdish militants.

The Ankara attacks were claimed by the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK), a radical splinter group of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ party (PKK). PKK rebels have been targeting police and military targets since July when a fragile peace process collapsed.

The PKK is fighting for autonomy for Turkey’s Kurds in the south-east of the country. It has waged a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state in a conflict that has claimed 40,000 lives. The group is considered a terrorist organisation by Turkey and its allies.