Istanbul: Six dead, dozens wounded in explosion

At least six people have been killed and 81 wounded in an explosion in a busy area of central Istanbul, Turkish authorities have said.

The blast happened at about 16:20 local time (13:20 GMT) on a shopping street in the Taksim Square area, the Turkish city's governor Ali Yerlikaya said. Vice-President Fuat Oktay said the blast was thought to be a terrorist attack carried out by a woman. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the perpetrators would be punished.