Two die in Istanbul bomb attack

ISTANBUL – Two people were killed and seven others injured when two bombs exploded at tourist hotels in Turkey’s largest city of Istanbul overnight in an apparent terrorist attack, the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported yesterday citing police.

The blasts, swiftly followed by two other bombings at a liquefied gas storage site, occurred almost simultaneously at around 2:00am in the western city districts of Laleli and Sultanahmet, where many tourists stay during their visits to the city. Istanbul police chief Celalettin Cerrah, quoted by Anatolia, said that “for the moment everything is pointing to a terrorist attack”.One of the victims was identified as an Iranian man, while the other was a Turkish national from the eastern city of Van.Two Chinese, two Dutch, a Ukrainian, a Turkmen and a Turk were injured in the blasts.The explosion in Laleli, a district frequented by tourists from ex-Soviet nations, caused serious damage to the hotel, blowing out all the windows on the third floor and causing a fire.- Nampa-AFPIstanbul police chief Celalettin Cerrah, quoted by Anatolia, said that “for the moment everything is pointing to a terrorist attack”.One of the victims was identified as an Iranian man, while the other was a Turkish national from the eastern city of Van.Two Chinese, two Dutch, a Ukrainian, a Turkmen and a Turk were injured in the blasts.The explosion in Laleli, a district frequented by tourists from ex-Soviet nations, caused serious damage to the hotel, blowing out all the windows on the third floor and causing a fire. – Nampa-AFP