Three suicide bombers struck at the entrance to the main international airport in Istanbul on Tuesday.
Istanbul: Three suicide bombers struck at the entrance to the main international airport in Istanbul on Tuesday. 36 people have been confirmed dead with over 100 injured.
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday condemned the attack on Istanbul`s Ataturk international airport.
Shocked &deeply saddened by news of yet another terror attack in #Istanbul.Strongly condemn this cowardly attack on innocents
— Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) June 29, 2016
My prayers are with the families of the victims & the ppl of #Istanbul
— Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) June 29, 2016
Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton says the terror attack in Turkey is a reminder that the US can't retreat from this part of the world.
"Today's attack in Istanbul only strengthens our resolve to defeat the forces of terrorism and radical jihadism around the world. And it reminds us that the United States cannot retreat," Clinton says.
Turkish Air flights to Delhi and Mumbai departed from Istanbul last night as scheduled. Both the flights left Turkey's capital at around 8 pm, says MEA.
Ataturk Airport operations at Istanbul have resumed, but long delays are likely, says MEA.
Many flights are reported to have been diverted to Sabiha Gokcen International Airport.
The Ministry of External Affairs tweets emergency contact numbers for Indians requiring assistance.
You may also contact First Secretary, Embassy of India, Ankara at 05303142203 @CGI_Istanbul
— India in Turkey (@IndianEmbassyTR) June 28, 2016
PM Narendra Modi expresses grief over Istanbul airport suicide bomb attack, extends condolences to the families of the deceased and the injured.
He tweets:
Attack in Istanbul is inhuman & horrific. I condemn it strongly. My thoughts are with bereaved families. May the injured recover quickly.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 29, 2016
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called for stepped-up cooperation in the fight against terrorism on Tuesday, following an attack on Istanbul`s Ataturk airport that left at least 36 dead and scores wounded.
Ban "condemns today`s terrorist attack" and "expresses his deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims and to the government and people of Turkey," his spokesman said in a statement.
The UN chief "stands firmly by Turkey as it confronts this threat and stresses the need to intensify regional and international efforts to combat terrorism and violent extremism."
"The Secretary-General hopes that the perpetrators of this crime will be identified and brought to justice," the statement said.
The Turkish PM has confirmed that the death toll in Istanbul airport attack now stands at 36.
"According to assessments so far, 36 people have lost their lives and there were also many wounded," Binali Yildirim told reporters at the site of the attack on Europe`s third-busiest airport. He also said that a small number of the wounded were seriously injured.
Dios mío... RT @AmichaiStein1: CCTV of policemen shot one of 3 #Istanbul airport attackers before detonating himself pic.twitter.com/IkveYqcbBZ
— Carlos Gómez (@gomezgonzalez) June 28, 2016
(zeenews.com does not guarantee the authenticity of this video shared on social media.)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called for a "joint fight" against terror after a triple suicide attack at Istanbul`s Ataturk airport killed nearly 50 people.
"If states, as all humanity, fail to join forces and wage a joint fight against terrorist organisations, all the possibilities that we dread in our minds will come true one by one," Erdogan said in a statement.
Reuters has come up with a concrete report on what happened on Tuesday (local time) at the Istanbul airport.
As per details available, two suicide bombers opened fire before blowing themselves up at the entrance to the main international airport in Istanbul, killing at least 10 people and wounding many more, Turkish officials and witnesses said.
Police fired shots to try to stop the attackers just before they reached a security checkpoint at the arrivals hall of the Ataturk airport but they blew themselves up, one of the officials said.
Speaking in Parliament, Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said that based on initial information he could only confirm that there had been one attacker. He said 10 people were killed and around 20 wounded.
"According to information I have received, at the entrance to the Ataturk Airport international terminal a terrorist first opened fire with a Kalashnikov and then blew themself up," he said in comments broadcast by CNN Turk.
Ataturk is Turkey`s largest airport and a major transport hub for international travellers. Pictures posted on social media from the site showed wounded people lying on the ground inside and outside one of the terminal buildings.
Television footage showed ambulances rushing to the scene. One witness told CNN Turk that gunfire was heard from the car park at the airport. Taxis were ferrying wounded people from the airport, the witness said.
Authorities halted the takeoff of scheduled flights from the airport and passengers were transferred to hotels, a Turkish Airlines official said. Earlier an airport official said some flights to the airport had been diverted.
Turkey has suffered a spate of bombings this year, including two suicide attacks in tourist areas of Istanbul blamed on Islamic State, and two car bombings in the capital, Ankara, which were claimed by a Kurdish militant group.
Turkey, which is part of the US-led coalition against Islamic State, is also fighting Kurdish militants in its largely Kurdish southeast.