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Video: 3 ISIS militants blow themselves up at Istanbul's Ataturk airport

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said 36 were dead.

Istanbul: Three suspected Islamic State group suicide bombers targeted the international terminal of Istanbul's Ataturk airport on Wednesday, killing at least 36 people and wounding many others, Turkish officials said.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said 36 were dead and Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said 147 were wounded. Another senior government official said that the death toll could climb much higher.

CCTV footages showed two of the attackers detonating explosives at the entrance of the international arrivals terminal after police fired at them, while the third blew himself up in the parking lot.

Ataturk is Turkey's largest airport and a major transport hub for travellers from around the world.

The attack bore similarities to a suicide bombing by Islamic State militants at Brussels airport in March that killed 16 people. A coordinated attack also targeted a rush-hour metro train, killing a further 16 people in the Belgian capital.

Most of those killed were Turkish nationals but foreigners were also among the dead, a Turkish official said.

( Source : Deccan Chronicle with agency inputs )
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