A news release from the governor's office said that all of the six fatalities are Turkish nationals, contrary to previous reports that one Pakistani had died.
"As a result of the explosion, 100 people were injured. Sixteen of them remain in a serious condition, and six are undergoing emergency operations. Ten of the injured are citizens of Pakistan," the statement said.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, but security services suspect Kurdish separatists based in southeast Turkey, according to local TV broadcaster NTV. The channel said the plastic explosives set off in the explosion have often been used by Kurdish rebels in the past.
The explosion, near the presidential, government and armed forces buildings, as well as museums and the old parliament, destroyed the shopping center's entrance, and scattered broken glass over a large area.
Kurdish separatists blew up a bus stop at a Turkish Mediterranean resort in September last year, killing ten people. Turkey's worst terrorist attack in recent years was a 2003 bombing of the British consular building, a bank, and two synagogues in Istanbul, which killed 58.
The attack threatens to destabilize the political situation in Turkey, which will hold general elections on July 22.
