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39 killed in Istanbul nightclub gun attack

People flee from a nightclub where a gun attack took place during a New Year party in Istanbul
People flee from a nightclub where a gun attack took place during a New Year party in Istanbul
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Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said 15 or 16 of those killed were foreigners but that only 21 of the bodies had so far been identified. He said 69 people were in hospital, four of them in a critical condition.


"A manhunt for the terrorist is underway. Police have launched operations. We hope the attacker will be captured soon," he told reporters.


The attack again shook Turkey as it tries to recover from a failed July coup and a series of deadly bombings in cities including Istanbul and the capital Ankara, some blamed on IS and others claimed by Kurdish militants.


The club, one of Istanbul's most iconic that is popular with locals and foreigners alike, overlooks the Bosphorus Strait separating Europe and Asia in the city's cosmopolitan Ortakoy district.


Around 500 to 600 people were thought to have been inside when the gunman opened fire, broadcaster CNN Turk said. Some jumped into the waters of the Bosphorus to save themselves and were rescued by police.


Istanbul Governor Vasip Sahin said the attacker had used a "long-range weapon" to "brutally and savagely" fire on people, apparently referring to some sort of assault rifle.


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