An armed attack killed at least 39 people and injured 69 at an Istanbul nightclub early Sunday, the Turkish Interior Minister, Suleyman Soylu, said.


"16 of the victims are foreigners while the other five are Turkish citizens," Anadolu Agency (AA) quoted the minister as saying.

The minister also said that 69 people were in hospitals, receiving treatment.

"4 of those injured are in a critical condition. One of them is severely injured," Soylu said.

Local sources said that a gunman, reportedly dressed in a Santa costume and armed with a long-barrelled weapon, shot a police officer before storming the elite Reina club in the Ortakoy area of the city.

“He then carried out this violent and cruel act by spraying bullets on innocent people who were celebrating the New Year," Governor Vasip Sahin said, describing the attack as a cruel act of terror.
 

Source: BNA