Turkey declares national day of mourning after blasts kill 38
Sunday 11 December 2016 08:59, UK
Turkey has declared a national day of mourning after twin blasts in Istanbul killed 38 people and wounded 155 others near Besiktas' Vodafone Arena on Saturday.
Turkey's Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said the death toll included 30 police officers and said a total of 13 suspects had been detained in connection with the attack.
A Sunday statement from Prime Minister Binali Yildirim's office ordered flags to fly at half-mast across the country and at Turkey's foreign missions.
Two explosions are reported to have been heard near to the stadium, where the reigning Super Lig champions had beaten Bursaspor 2-1 less than two hours earlier.
Initial reports were that a car bomb had been set off and that the majority of the injured were riot police, whose colleagues quickly cordoned off the area.
Turkey's interior minister Suleyman Soylu later said the second blast was caused by a suicide bomber, who struck in Macka Park alongside the stadium, and he described the attack as a "cruel plot".
A further controlled explosion was heard more than an hour after the original blasts.
Bursaspor said in a statement, according to their travelling support, none of the injured were supporters of their club.
Besiktas also released a statement condemning "the terrorists...who attacked our heroic security forces, who provided security for both our supporters and those of our visitors Bursaspor".
The statement added: "We hope that the citizens who were wounded in the attack will have a speedy recovery and that no greater suffering will be experienced. We condemn violence and hatred."
