Twin blasts in Istanbul kill 41

The death toll in the deadly Istanbul bomb attacks rose to 41.

Two explosions struck Saturday night outside a major soccer stadium in Istanbul after fans had gone home, the Associated Press repots.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued a statement saying “unfortunately we have martyrs and wounded” but did not specify the number.

One of the blasts was thought to be a car bomb and the second appeared to have been caused by a suicide bomber.

Police cordoned off the area as smoke rose from behind the newly built Vodafone Arena Stadium, known colloquially as Besiktas Stadium after the local team and neighborhood. Witnesses also heard gunfire after the explosions.