Explosions in İstanbul kill 17, injure more than 150

Seventeen people, including a 3-year-old child, were killed and 154 others injured in two separate bomb attacks in the Güngören neighborhood of İstanbul on Sunday.

Two bombs exploded minutes apart in one of İstanbul's busy shopping districts on the European side. "It is certain that this is a terrorist attack," Muammer Güler, governor of İstanbul, said.

"The bombs were placed in trash cans. It was not a suicide bombing. The blasts occurred in a very busy district and this raised casualty figures. Seventeen people lost their lives in this heinous attack," he said. Güler added that the bombs were quite powerful and caused significant damage in the neighborhood as well as loss of life.

"We know it is a terrorist attack, but as to which organization is responsible -- we don't yet have that information," State Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Hayati Yazıcı said after visiting the scene of the attacks.

Police cordoned off the scenes of the explosions to begin their investigation into the twin blasts.

Witnesses said the second explosion was more powerful than the first. Ramazan Ekici, present at the scene but uninjured, said: "The first explosion occurred at about 9:45 p.m. Then, we heard a second and stronger blast some eight to 10 minutes later. Many people were injured in the second blast after they rushed to the area to help those hurt in the first explosion. The avenue where the explosions occurred was closed to traffic and there were many people walking around."

A crisis center was set up at the İstanbul Governor's Office after the explosions. The center reports that 14 of the injured people are in a life-threatening condition.