Gunfire, Massive Explosions Rock Major Airport, Numerous Deaths Reported

Istanbul Ataturk Airport, the largest air transport hub in Turkey, was hit by two explosions Tuesday evening. State-run TRT television said the blasts took place in the international arrival terminal. More than 10 people were reported killed and up to 100 hurt.

Initial reports said there was also gunfire from a car park at the airport. Other accounts said a suicide bomber sprayed the crowd with an automatic weapon before blowing himself up.

It was uncertain in the immediate aftermath of the attack exactly how many people were hurt. CBS News reported “dozens” were injured. A witness told CNN Turk that taxis were driving wounded people to local hospitals.

The Express reported 10 dead and 40 wounded and said that Turkish officials told the British publication that the attack was caused by two suicide bombers. On its website, the Express reported that video “allegedly from the scene shows passengers cowering on the floor while others shout: ‘Get down.’”

Other reports put the death toll higher.

Amerbin Zaman of the Wilson Center tweeted that the attack was “incredible” given tight security at the airport.

Turkey has been no stranger to explosions and violence. Earlier this month, 11 people were killed in a car bomb explosion in downtown Istanbul. In March, at least 37 people died in a car bomb in Ankara, the nation’s capital. Recent bomb attacks in Turkey have been linked to Kurdish separatists or the Islamic State group.

The State Department first put out a warning against travel to Turkey in March. It updated that warning Monday, urging Americans to “exercise heightened vigilance and caution when visiting public access areas, especially those heavily frequented by tourists.” (For more from the author of “Gunfire, Massive Explosions Rock Major Airport, Numerous Deaths Reported” please click HERE)

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