At least five people, including the attacker, have been killed, and at least 36 others wounded after a suicide bombing rocked the main shopping street in central Istanbul, according to the local governor.

Photos from the scene in Taksim district that have emerged online show badly maimed bodies and body parts lying in the street. Dozens of ambulances and emergency workers are on the spot.

Earlier reports of other explosions, for instance, in the areas of Nisantasi, Bayrampasa, Uskudar, have been contradicted by the governor.

Of the 36 wounded, at least seven are in serious condition, governor Vasip Sahin said in a statement carried live by broadcaster CNN Turk.

Twelve of those wounded were foreign citizens, Health Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu said, as cited by Reuters.

Turkish officials have indicated there is fresh evidence suggesting the attacker may have been from Islamic State or the PKK, Reuters reports.

Earlier reports citing an unnamed official suggested Kurdish militants were behind the attack.

The bomber was reportedly intercepted by police and thwarted from his intended target, forcing him to detonate his bomb “out of fear,” the official added.

Diplomats have begun expressing their solidarity with the Turkish authorities.

“I strongly condemn this despicable and cowardly act that has caused the death of several people,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said in a statement, as quoted by Reuters.

Tensions in Turkey have been running high over the past few months, with terror attacks on the rise.

This latest bombing comes about a fortnight after the Turkish capital Ankara was hit by a grenade-and-gun attack, carried out by two female terrorists.

Last month, at least 28 people were killed and 61 wounded in a car explosion in Ankara. The blast targeted military personnel near the parliament building.