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3rd LD Writethru: 35 killed in terror attack on Istanbul nightclub -- governor

Xinhua, January 1, 2017 Adjust font size:

Thirty-five people were killed and 40 others wounded in a shooting attack on a popular nightclub in Istanbul early Sunday morning, said Istanbul governor Vasip Sahin.

Sahin said the terror attack was carried out by one single gunman in the Reina nightclub in the district of Besiktas.

A security analyst, who declined to be named, told Xinhua that the attacker killed the security guards before storming into the club, which reportedly gathered as many as 400 for New Year celebration.

The analyst said the gunman, who was dressed as Father Christmas and speaking Arabic, changed his ammunition clip several times in the shooting spree.

The gunman was reportedly on the run after he slipped out of the scene in chaos.

The roads leading to the scene were closed off, and the authorities have issued a media blackout on the attack.

Turkey's NTV said some hostages jumped into the sea to escape, as the night club is close to the Bosporus Strait, prompting a rescue operation by coast guards.

Sinem Uyanik's husband jumped on her when the shootings occurred and was shot three times. Other people run over her in panic.

"My husband was full of blood. People were in blood," she was quoted as saying by the Hurriyet daily. "Then we called ambulance and police. Police said 'Don't move or you will be a victim.' We stayed motionless. Then the special operation teams entered inside."

Security measures have reportedly been enforced in Ankara and Istanbul for New Year celebrations, including banning the entry of trucks, lorries and concrete mixers into some districts.

Istanbul and other Turkish cities came under a spate of deadly attacks in the past year, with the last one hitting Besiktas on Dec. 10, when two suicide bombing attacks left 44 dead.

The U.S. embassy in Ankara, in a message posted on its website on Dec. 23, advised Americans to stay away from public gatherings for holiday celebrations in Turkey, citing increased security concerns across the country. Endi