Sunday's bombing of a busy shopping street in Istanbul, which resulted in at least six deaths and 53 injuries, was deemed a "heinous attack" by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Erdogan stated that a bomb had exploded on the popular pedestrian thoroughfare Istiklal Avenue in Istanbul, but that it was too early to determine whether the attack had a terrorist motive.

Erdogan, citing initial information provided by the governor of Istanbul, Ali Yerlikaya, asserted that there was a "scent of terror" in the air.

The president stated that authorities suspected a woman was involved in the 4:20 p.m. incident (1320 GMT).

Unverified social media footage depicted a woman leaving a bag near pedestrians, followed by an explosion mere seconds later. However, authorities cautioned that the investigation was still in its infancy.

Other footage showed shattered windows and motionless people lying on the ground on a famous shopping street in the European section of the Turkish capital, frequented by tourists and locals.

According to state broadcaster TRT, a large number of police officers and emergency personnel were dispatched to the scene, and helicopters were flying over the Beyoglu district and surrounding areas.

Istiklal Avenue was attacked by terrorists in 2016 when a suicide bomber killed four and injured 39 others. According to the Turkish government, the bomber had ties to Islamic State, but the terrorist organization has not claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Turkish broadcasting authority RTUK restricted its coverage of the attack on Sunday. It was stated that reports should be avoided to avoid sowing panic. State broadcaster TRT and commercial broadcaster CNN Turk interrupted their reports in response.