Two Indian nationals are among the 39 people killed in a nightclub shooting in Turkey’s Istanbul.
A gunman reportedly fired at guests in the nightclub during a New Year’s Eve party. Among the dead are 15 foreign nationals including two Lebanese and five Saudi nationals.
India’s Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj confirmed two Indians are also among the victims who lost their lives in the Reina night club.
One of them was Abis Rizvi, son of a former MP Akhtar Hasan Rizvi and the other has been identified as Khushi Shah.
The attack on the nightclub, one of the most exclusive in Istanbul, came shortly after around 700 guests welcomed the new year. A gunman fired at a policeman outside the night club and then began firing at the guests inside the club.
The attacker reportedly fired over a hundred rounds during the attack which lasted seven minutes. Many of the revellers jumped into the freezing water of Bosphorus to escape the volley of bullets.
One witness spoke of the panic and carnage at the venue, considered one of Istanbul's swankiest.
"Just as we were settling down, by the door there was a lot of dust and smoke. Gunshots rang out," professional footballer Sefa Boydas told AFP.
"People were walking on top of people."
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said the gunman was still at large after slipping away unnoticed after the attack. But he denied earlier reports that a Santa Claus costume had been used as a disguise.
The assailant "left the gun and went away from the scene of the incident," he told reporters in Istanbul. "It was an armed terrorist."
Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said the gunman had arrived with a gun concealed underneath an overcoat but subsequently exited the venue wearing a different garment.
