At least 39 people have been killed after a man opened fire in a nightclub in Istanbul shortly after revellers had rang in the New Year.
According to the BBC, the man, who is believed to have been dressed in a Santa outfit, opened fire in Reina nightclub, located on the banks of the Bospurus waterway in the Ortakoy area of Istanbul, at approximately 1.30am local time (10.30pm GMT) on Sunday morning.
It is believed that there were as many as 700 people in the nightclub at the time and of the people killed in the attack, at least 15 were foreigners and at least three were employees of the nightclub. A number of people in the building are reported to have jumped into the water to escape.
At the time of writing, as many as 69 people are being treated in hospital following the attack, four of whom are believed to be in a serious condition.
Commenting on the attack, Turkey’s interior minister Suleyman Soylu said: “This was a massacre, a truly inhuman savagery.”
“A manhunt for the terrorist is under way,” he added.
“Police have launched operations. We hope the attacker will be captured soon.”
The British Embassy in Turkey has retweeted the following tweet for those intending to travel to Turkey in the coming days.
#Turkey: serious incident at Reina nightclub, Ortakoy district Istanbul on 1 Jan. Follow advice of local authorities https://t.co/lbd6dMYIQi
— FCDO Travel Advice (@FCDOtravelGovUK) January 1, 2017
