Two explosions rocked Turkey’s largest airport on Tuesday leaving at least 50 people dead with dozens injured.
A senior Turkish official, who went unnamed, told the Associated Press that the death toll has risen to 50.
Officials said police fired weapons on two suspects who blew themselves up before passing the first x-ray security checkpoint at Ataturk airport in Istanbul.
"The assessments show that three suicide bombers carried out the attacks in three different spots at the airport,” Istanbul Governor Vasi p Şahin said.
The suspects were reportedly armed with Kalashnikov assault rifles. While reports claim that gunshots were heard in the airport parking lot, video footage shows people running for cover inside the terminal building.
One witness told NBC News that he saw a police officer wrestle a suicide bomber to the ground before the attack detonated his bomb.
All scheduled flights have been grounded and passengers were being rushed to nearby hotels. The Ataturk airport is the third busiest European airport following London’s Heathrow and the Charles De Gaulle in Paris.
Facebook has activated their Safety Check feature for people in the surrounding area. The US Embassy encouraged people to directly contact their loved ones and use the check-in features on social media.
The US State Department also announced that it is trying to determine if any Americans were killed in the attack.
No terrorist groups have claimed responsibility for bombings.
