IN ISTANBUL AIRPORT, ROUTINE NIGHT QUICKLY TURNED TO HORROR Y
Victims of the deadly attack in Turkey come from all walks of life
All were cut down when a trio of suicide bombers attacked the airport, leaving at least 42 dead and more than 230 wounded.
usuf Haznedaroğlu had finished a work shift at the Istanbul airport Tuesday night and was waiting for a shuttle. He was to be married in 10 days. Taxi driver Mustafa Biyikli was ready for another fare. Translator Ertan Tan, whose wife is six months pregnant, had just dropped off tourists.
Nisreen Melham, 28, a Palestinian woman living in Saudi Arabia, had just arrived in Turkey for a vacation with her husband and 3-year-old daughter.
All were cut down when a trio of suicide bombers attacked the airport, leaving at least 42 dead and more than 230 wounded. Thirteen foreign nationals were among those killed, including three with dual citizenship, according to a statement posted on the Istanbul governor’s website.
Thirty-seven of the victims have been identified, according to the governor’s website.
The foreigners include five Saudis, two Iraqis and people from China, Jordan, Tunisia, Uzbekistan, Iran and Ukraine, Reuters reported.
Merve Yigit, 22, who worked in catering at the airport, died Wednesday evening in an Istanbul hospital. She was being treated for injuries caused by shrapnel that pierced her abdomen, stomach and head, the Associated Press reported.
A severely wounded Haznedaroğlu was taken to the hospital where he died, the news agency reported. The news agency also reported that Biyikli and Tan were killed in the explosions.
The Palestinian ambassador to Turkey, Faed Mustafa, said a Palestinian woman was killed in the blasts and six Palestinians were injured, including a 17-year-old girl from the Gaza Strip who suffered critical injuries, the Associated Press reported.
The scene was chaotic at the nearest hospital in Istanbul’s Bakirkoy district, as relatives desperate for news of loved ones arrived, Agence France-Presse reported.
Bombing victim Melham was from the West Bank town of Arraba. Her 34-year-old husband and 3-year-old daughter were injured in the attack, according to Moath Hamed, a Palestinian journalism student visiting the family in the hospital.
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said all initial indications suggest the Islamic State group was behind the attack. No group has claimed responsibility yet.