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Nov. 13 (UPI) -- The toll from an explosion in Istanbul on Sunday rose to six killed and 81 injured as the country's vice president labeled it a terrorist act. Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay told reporters after visiting the blast site on Istiklal Street in the city's popular Beyoglu district that terrorism is suspected as the cause and that a woman had triggered the blast.
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Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said authorities have since arrested the person who left the bomb, according a tweet from the state-run Anadolu Agency.
Istanbul Gov. Ali Yerlikaya identified the deceased victims via Twitter early Monday as Arzu Ozsoy and her daughter, Yagmur Ucar; Yusuf Meydan and his daughter, Ecrin Meydan; and Adem Topkara and his wife, Mukaddes Elif Topkara.
Of those injured, 50 have since been discharged from hospital, he said, adding that of the five people who remained in intensive care, two patients were in serious condition.
"May God have mercy on our citizens who lost their lives," he said.
The explosion happened about 4:20 p.m. local time, officials said.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the incident "smelled like terrorism" during a press conference before leaving for Indonesia to attend the G20 summit.
"The public should know that the perpetrators of this attack will be punished in the way they deserve," he added.
The Istanbul chief prosecutor's office has appointed a team of eight public prosecutors and two deputy chief public prosecutors to investigate the attack, Turkey's Minister of Justice Bekir Bozdag said in a statement.
"Since our security forces will detect and catch the perpetrator or perpetrators in a short time, no one should have any doubt that as as result of the investigation, the incident will be clarified with all its dimensions," he said.
Broadcasting about the blast was banned by state officials, with national police saying in a statement that 25 people had been reported to relevant authorities on accusations of having "shared provocative content on social media platforms" about the attack "with the aim of creating fear and panic among our citizens."
World leaders sent condolences to Turkey.
"[The] government and the people of Pakistan express deepest condolences to the brotherly people of Türkiye at the loss of precious lives and send prayers for the speedy recovery of the injured," Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Twitter.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he is "deeply saddened" by the incident, adding in a tweet, "The pain of the friendly Turkish people is our pain."
"Shocking images from Istanbul," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said in a Twitter post. "My thoughts and deepest condolences to all those affected & to the Turkish people."
"Horrific news from Istanbul tonight," European Council President Charles Michel said in a statement. "All our thoughts are with those currently responding and the people of Turkey at this very distressing time."
