Bahrainis fear for safety of families and friends in Turkish towns following blast

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Staff Report 

Bahrain citizens and residents now fear for the safety of their family members and friends in Turkey after six people were killed and nearly 100 injured in an explosion in Central Istanbul on Sunday.

The blast happened at about 16:20 local time on Sunday at a shopping street in the Taksim Square area.

A suspect has been arrested, Turkish Interior Minister said. The blast has been allegedly carried out by militant group PKK, which calls for an independent Kurdish state within Turkey.

Speaking to The Daily Tribune, Bahrain resident Mohammed Shakeel, who has his brother living in Istanbul, said he is now worried for his brother and family’s safety.

“I am really worried for them.

Turkey has been more or less a stable country; but with this blast it seems the country is vulnerable to terrorist activities,” he said.

Mr Mohammed said he has been consistently keeping in touch with his brother after the blast and hoped the government of Turkey will be able to curb all terrorist activities, ensuring the safety of its citizens and expatriates.

Favourite destination Salman Faraj, another resident, said he has been ringing up his friends in Turkey after hearing the horrific news.

“Turkey is one of my favourite destinations and I got many of my best friends living there. This is something I can’t believe. Terrorists have targeted a country, which looks like a heaven on earth. I am hopeful that the country will be able to soon regain its position as the tourist hotspots by successfully tackling the terror elements.”

The Daily Tribune earlier reported about Turkey emerging as the number one tourism destination for outbound tourists from the Kingdom.

According to travel agents, the pandemic season has drastically changed the travel perspectives of expatriates in the Kingdom, for they constitute a large share of outbound tourists during the ongoing travel season.

Sources within the travel and tourism industry reveal that, drawing a sharp dissimilarity to the previous years, many expatriates, both alone and in families, are following suit of Bahrain and Arab nationals to become globetrotters and for them Turkey has been, undoubtedly, the number one destination.

Speaking to The Daily Tribune, C D Singh, General Manager of Bahrain International Travel, said outbound tourism demands to Turkey have been really high mainly due to the devaluation of Turkish Lira along with the attractive offerings Turkey has.

The six people killed include Yusuf Meydan, a member of Turkey’s Ministry of Family and Social Services, and his daughter Ecrin, according to Derya Yanık, the minister of the agency.

Turkey’s conflict with Kurdish separatist groups has spanned four decades and claimed tens of thousands of lives.

The PKK has been designated a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.