A gun and bomb attack on Istanbul’s Ataturk international airport has killed at least 10 people and injured others, with reports of at least one suicide bomber.
At least 20 people were also wounded with casualties being reportedly rushed to hospital in taxis.
Police opened fire to stop the suspects at an entry point, Reuters reports.
It appears that the attackers detonated explosives at the entrance to the international terminal.
“Ten people have been killed according to a preliminary toll,” Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said.
“According to the information I was given, a terrorist at the international terminal entrance first opened fire with a Kalashnikov and then blew himself up,” the minister added, according to the Associated Press.
Turkish media report that two suicide bombers were involved.
In December, a blast on the tarmac at a different Istanbul airport, Sabiha Gokcen, killed a cleaner.
It said the explosion had happened at 02:05 (00:05 GMT) on Wednesday. Although the cause of the blast was unknown, police were investigating whether it was a bomb, Dogan news agency reports.
Fragments from the blast damaged five other planes, Turkish Transport Minister Binali Yildirim said.
“[A] weakness in the airport’s security is out of the question,” he added.
Some witnesses claimed to have heard three consecutive explosions.
Located on the Asian facing side of Istanbul, Sabiha Gokcen is the city’s second-largest airport after Ataturk airport on the European side of the city.
BBC
