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Govt condemns deadly Istanbul bombing amid reports of one Indonesian injured
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A police officer stands near the explosion site in Istanbul on June 7. A car bomb targeting a bus carrying riot police during rush hour traffic in Istanbul on Tuesday killed a number of people and wounded dozens of others, the city's governor said. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) (Associated Press/Emrah Gurel)
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ndonesia strongly condemns a terrorist bomb that exploded in Istanbul, Turkey, on Tuesday morning and killed 11 people: four civilians and seven police officers. One Indonesian student was reportedly injured by the blast.
"The Indonesian government and people convey sympathy and deep condolences to the people and the government in Turkey, especially to the victims and families of the victims," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
A bomb exploded in the busy district of Vezneciler in the biggest city in Turkey during the morning rush hour at approximately 8:15 a.m. local time, the statement said.
The explosion occurred in the city center within the historic Beyazit Square neighborhood, which is also a major tourist attraction and near an Istanbul University building.
The ministry reported that one Indonesian, who is a student at the nearby university, had suffered minor injuries to the head when a classroom ceiling collapsed because of the impact of the bomb.
The Indonesian Students Association (PPI) in Turkey said the student, named Azwar Abadi Arsyad, is currently studying physics at the university.
"I had thought there was an earthquake. We are all in the classroom because the exam was about to start in 10 minutes," Arsyad said in a statement.
The majority of university students in Turkey are currently facing final semester examinations, which typically begin at 9 a.m.
"The windows on campus were also shattered by the explosion. It seems like exams would be postponed until the afternoon or maybe even next week," said Arsyad, who is originally from Makassar, Sulawesi.
He said the bomb, which had been remotely detonated, had exploded so loudly that it could be heard within a two-kilometer radius.
According to data from the PPI Turkey, there are at least seven Indonesian students studying at the FEN (Science) Faculty at Istanbul University.
The science faculty is located across from the Vezneciler metro station, near to where the bomb had exploded.
In addition to the explosion, reports of gunshots were also heard around the location where a police vehicle had been the target of the bomb.
According to the ministry's data, there are currently 708 Indonesians residing in Istanbul, most of whom are university students or expatriates with permanent jobs in Turkey.
The Indonesian Consulate General in Istanbul will continue to coordinate with local authorities to monitor the situation.
The consulate has also urged Indonesians to stay cautious and avoid crowded areas that could potentially be targets for attacks.
The Indonesian Embassy in Ankara has opened a hotline with a contact person by the name of Mrs. Ida who can be reached at (+90) 5319831534.
There have reportedly been four explosions in Turkey so far in 2016. Twelve German tourists died in an explosion in January while 28 Turks died during a military parade in Ankara in February.
In March, 35 people died during a terrorist attack by Kurd militants in Ankara and four others were killed by a suicide bomb in Istanbul. (dmr)
