Cher has apologised for using a bomb emjoi in a tweet she posted in tribute to victims of the recent terror attack in Turkey. At least 42 people died and more than 239 are believed to be injured after three men armed with AK-47s opened fire in Istanbul's Ataturk Airport on Tuesday evening.
After the shooting the gunmen detonated explosives, blowing themselves up and sending dozens of people fleeing from the scene in despair. Cher, 70, often uses social media to discuss political and world events, and took to Twitter to send prayers to those affected by the horrific attack.
The Believe singer wrote: "We all pray for innocent ppl in Turkey airport." But her well-meaning post instantly caused huge offence with some, after she added a bomb and an explosion emojis.
She was instantly flooded with messages asking why she felt the need to use the emoticons – and one user wrote: "Cher is trying her best but using the bomb and explosion emoji might not be a good choice here."
Cher insisted her use of emojis wasn't meant to cause offence
After initially trying to defend her tweet, the next day Cher tweeted once again to apologise for the potentially insensitive message.
Cher said: "Been thinking about my poorly placed, insensitively timed bomb emoji. No excuse. I'm used 2 using emoji 2help say more than 140 letters. Sorry."
Following the attack, Wednesday was declared an official day of mourning in Turkey and the death toll is expected to rise still. Although Turkish officials have said they suspect Islamic State is behind the attack, no terror group has claimed responsibility.