Bomb blasts injuries in Istanbul

The bomb went off at the height of the evening rush hour in the Bayrampasa area, district mayor Atilla Aydiner told A Haber television on Tuesday.

"Five of our citizens were injured when a pipe bomb left on barriers on the overpass exploded," he said.

The blast briefly disrupted the subway traffic in Istanbul.

The highway overpass is near to the Bayrampasa subway station, which is above ground level. Bayrampasa is a residential and industrial area on the European side of Turkey's largest city.

Ghosts of Ankara

The explosive device was a hand-made cluster bomb, according to security sources quoted by the Dogan news agency.

No claims of responsibility were immediately made public.

Turkey is a part of the anti-terror coalition in Syria, while at the same time fighting Kurdish forces in the decades-long conflict. A banned left-wing group is also active in Istanbul.

The country is still on edge after suspected "Islamic State" jihadists killed over 100 people by blowing themselves up at an Ankara rally in October. Another 33 people died in a similar attack on the border town of Suruc in July.

dj/jm (Reuters, AFP, AP)