Death toll from Istanbul attacks rises to 44
The death toll in the deadly Istanbul bomb attacks has risen to 44, Health Minister Recep Akdağ announced on Dec. 12, Hurriyet Daily News reported.
Some 36 police officers were among the victims, Akdağ said.
The Kurdistan Freedom Hawks (TAK), an offshoot linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), claimed responsibility for the attack on Dec. 11.
Two bombs exploded less than a minute apart at about 11 p.m. (GMT +3 hours) outside a soccer stadium in Istanbul on Dec. 10 night, in a coordinated attack on police shortly after a match between two of Turkey's top teams.
As many as 155 people got wounded in the result of the attack, 14 of them remain in intensive care, according to the Turkish Ministry of Health.
One day of national mourning was declared Dec. 11 in Turkey over the attack.
Earlier, Turkey’s Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said that the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) may be behind the attack.