At least 15 foreign nationals are among the dead after an attacker opens fire on 600 revellers at a nightclub in Istanbul.
Turkish police are hunting a gunman who killed at least 39 people in a New Year nightclub attack in Istanbul.
Another 69 people were wounded, four critically, in what Istanbul’s governor described as a “terrorist attack”.
At least 15 foreign citizens were among the dead at the Reina nightclub which was popular with tourists.
The victims included people from Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Lebanon and Libya.
The gunman killed policeman Burak Yildiz and travel agent Ayhan Arik outside the venue at about 1.15am local time, before opening fire at random inside the building, which was packed with 600 people celebrating the New Year.
It was initially reported the killer, toting a long-barrelled gun, had been wearing a Father Christmas outfit but this was later denied by the Turkish prime minister.
The attacker is believed to have changed his clothes to escape the scene.
“The search for the terrorist continues… I hope (the assailant) will be captured quickly, God willing,” said interior minister Suleyman Soylu.
He added: “This was a massacre, a truly inhuman savagery.”
Witnesses described diving under tables as the assailant opened fire, while one reveller told how she had to lift dead bodies off her to escape the building after the attack.
Some party-goers jumped into the nearby Bosphorus waterway to escape the slaughter in the Ortakoy district.
Sinem Uyanik said she saw several bodies inside the club, which is on the European side of the water, and her husband Lutfu Uyanik was wounded.
“Before I could understand what was happening, my husband fell on top me,” she said.
“I had to lift several bodies from on top of me before I could get out.”
Governor Vasip Sahin said: “A terrorist with a long-range weapon … brutally and savagely …fired bullets on innocent people.
“They (the revellers) were there solely to celebrate the New Year and have fun.”
One witness, who was outside the club when the gunman arrived, said: “After he shot at the police, he either shot at the man or the woman…
“When he targeted the (club’s) security, he took most of them down and went inside. Once he went in, we don’t know what happened. There were gun sounds and after two minutes, the sound of an explosion.”
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said the attack was designed to destabilise the country.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said UK tourists should follow the advice of local authorities while remaining vigilant.
Attempts are being made to see whether any Britons were among the dead and injured.
British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has called the attack “cowardly”, while the White House condemned its “savagery”.
Security measures had already been heightened in major Turkish cities, with police barring traffic leading up to key city squares.
In Istanbul, 17,000 police officers were on duty, some disguised as Santa Claus and others as street vendors, state-run news agency Anadolu reported.
Ankara and Istanbul have been targeted by several attacks in 2016 carried out by the Islamic State group or Kurdish rebels and leaving 180 people dead.
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