41 dead, 239 injured in Istanbul airport explosion

Two explosions rocked the Ataturk International Airport in Istanbul on Tuesday night, killing dozens and injuring over 200 people.

ISTANBUL, Turkey (Kurdistan24) – Two explosions rocked the Ataturk International Airport in Istanbul on Tuesday night, killing dozens and injuring over 200 people.

The explosions occurred in the international departures area of the heavily populated airport.

Authorities and witnesses said that terrorists opened fire first, and then explosives were detonated.

A statement from the Istanbul governor's office said the death toll had climbed to 41, with an additional 239 people wounded. Of the wounded victims, 109 had been released from the hospital.

Following the explosions, the Prime Minister of Turkey Binali Yildirim stated that initial indications show that the Islamic State (IS) was behind the attack.

“It showed once again that terrorism is a global threat and defeating it requires global cooperation,” Yildirim said.

“All early indications suggest that IS was behind the atrocity, but the investigation is ongoing,” he added.

According to Turkish officials, most of those killed were Turkish citizens, but 13 were foreign nationals. Five were from Saudi Arabia, two from Iraq, and one each from Tunisia, Uzbekistan, China, Iran, Ukraine and Jordan.

Following the explosions, ambulances rushed to the scene to take the injured people to hospitals. Eyewitnesses stated that taxis helped carry victims to the nearest hospitals.

Turkey has recently suffered from series of attacks in Istanbul, Ankara, and Kurdish territories in the southeast of the country.

On Tuesday, a car bomb hit the Kurdish Province of Diyarbakir (Amed) in the southeast of Turkey. 

“The blast occurred at about 10:10 a.m. near the public hospital when a police van passed,” the office of Diyarbakir governor reported. “The explosion wounded eight people, including two police officers. One officer was in critical condition, and six civilians were wounded.”

On June 7, a car bomb targeted a police vehicle in the Beyazit Vezneciler district of the city, killing seven civilians and four police, and wounding at least 36 people.

 

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany