A "suicide bomber" carried out the Istiklal Street attack in Istanbul

Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay announced on Sunday evening that a female suicide bomber carried out the attack that took place on Istiklal Street in Istanbul, leaving six dead and 81 wounded, two of them seriously, according to the latest toll.

Oktay told reporters, "We consider it a terrorist attack caused by the attacker, who is a woman, detonating a bomb, according to preliminary information."

The explosion prompted passers-by in the area to flee as the flames erupted.

Footage broadcast on the Internet showed ambulances, fire engines and policemen at the scene of the accident on Istiklal Street, a popular street packed with shops and restaurants that leads to the famous Taksim Square.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan described the blast as a "treacherous attack" and said the perpetrators would be punished.

Erdogan did not say who carried out the attack, but said it "carried the smell of terrorism" without elaborating.

He said that investigations are underway by the police and the Istanbul governor's office, including a review of surveillance cameras in the area.

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