As it happened: Suicide bombings at Istanbul airport, Modi condemns attacks
Three suspected Islamic State group suicide bombers targeted the international terminal of Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport Tuesday, killing at least 36 people and wounding many others, Turkish officials said.
Three suspected Islamic State group suicide bombers targeted the international terminal of Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport Tuesday, killing at least 36 people and wounding many others, Turkish officials said.
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said 36 were dead as well as the three suicide bombers. Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said 147 were wounded. Another senior government official told The Associated Press the death toll could climb much higher.
It is the deadliest of four attacks to rock Turkey’s biggest city this year, with two others blamed on IS and another claimed by a militant Kurdish group.
11am : Turkish Airlines suspended its flights until 8 am (0500 GMT) on Wednesday, the company said in a statement.
The flag carrier said in another statement any bookings on flights to or from Istanbul Ataturk airport between 28 June and 5 July 2016 would be changed or refunded without any cost, provided the passenger requests this by July 31.
9:25am:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemns the attack, terming it as inhuman and horrific.
8:55am: Helpline numbers for Indians in Istanbul: +90-530-5671095/8258037/4123625/
You may also contact First Secretary, Embassy of India, Ankara at 05303142203
8:50am: MEA says there are no reports so far of any Indian among casualties.Consulate is in touch with Istanbul Governorate and Turkish Health Ministry hotline desk
Turkish Air flights to Delhi and Mumbai departed Istanbul last night as scheduled. Both leave Istanbul at around 8pm: MEA
Ataturk Airport operations at Istanbul have resumed but long delays are likely:MEA
8:35 am: A stoppage of flights to and from the United States and Istanbul Ataturk Airport lasted several hours but has been lifted, said a US official who spoke on background to discuss sensitive security issues. The official said the stoppage was lifted in the middle of the evening.
The official says 10 passenger flights were in the air, flying from Turkey to the US, at the time of the stoppage and they have all landed. However, cargo planes and corporate jets in the US would have been most affected by the stoppage. The official says the decision on lifting the stoppage was made in coordination with the Transportation Security Administration.
8: 25 am: According to the private Dogan news agency, a plane carrying Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama was landing at Istanbul’s Ataturk airport when the attack occurred. He was arriving on an official visit. The prime minister and his entourage were safely taken to an official residence. The group was to travel later on Wednesday to Turkey’s capital, Ankara.
7:50 am: Hillary Clinton says the bombings at Istanbul Ataturk Airport are “a reminder that the United States cannot retreat.”
The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee said in a statement that the US must deepen its cooperation with allies and partners in the Middle East and Europe “to take on this threat.”
7:45 am: Republican Donald Trump responded to Tuesday’s deadly attack in Istanbul, Turkey, by warning of the danger of threats at home.
The presumptive Republican nominee told a rally in St. Clairsville, Ohio, that “there’s something going on that’s really, really bad. We better get smart and we better get tough or we’re not going to have much of a country left.”
7.43 am: India’s civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju has said the government will take all measures to ensure safety and security at Indian airports following the terror attack at the Ataturk airport in Istanbul.
7: 40 am: Saudi Arabia’s Embassy in Turkey says at least seven Saudis were injured in the Istanbul airport attack and all are in stable condition. The embassy statement was carried on Saudi Arabia’s state-owned al-Ekhbaria news channel early Wednesday.
7:25 am: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned the “terrorist attack” at Istanbul’s Ataturkl airport and is calling for the perpetrators to be identified and brought to justice.
UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said the secretary-general “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.”
Read| Islamic State behind Istanbul airport attack that killed 36: Turkish PM