Shots and explosions rocked the Istanbul Atatürk Airport on Tuesday as three attackers killed 41 people and injured 239. After firing their weapons—at least one of which was an AK-47—all three attackers detonated suicide vests.
Detonations went off at the entrance of the international departures terminal, the domestic terminal, and the parking lot.
An airport employee, Levent Karaoglan, described the scene: "There are many casualties, legs, arms and everything, everywhere." After the attacks, witnesses said the scene looked like a movie set.
"There was a silence of death covering the airport all around," said traveler Fatos Karahasan.
"There was a huge explosion, extremely loud," Ali Tekin told ABC News. "The roof came down. Inside the airport it is terrible, you can't recognize it, the damage is big."
According to the Associated Press, the government ordered a media blackout.
American Adam Keally said confusion and terror took over when bombs began exploding in different directions.
“People were shooting from one side and we all ran the other way and then the bombs went off and people started running the other way and there was more shooting and we came out,” Keally said.
NATO’s secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg, condemned the "horrific attacks."
He said: "My thoughts are with the families of the victims, those injured and the people of Turkey. There can be no justification for terrorism. NATO Allies stand in solidarity with Turkey, united in our determination to fight terrorism in all its forms."
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim immediately blamed the Islamic State, though this has yet to be confirmed.
The Department of Homeland Security stated late Tuesday it was monitoring the situation. Security was immediately stepped up at New York and Miami airports. Turkish airports feature security checks at the entrance of terminal buildings and prior to departure gates.
More than 100 people remain hospitalized, a hospital worker told media.
The airport where the attacks took place is the third largest in Europe. It is open for business again after closing for a few hours overnight.
In the attack’s aftermath, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan proposed an international "joint fight" against terrorism.
Attacks at Istanbul’s city center three weeks ago resulted in the deaths of 11 people, and followed two suicide bombings in tourist-heavy areas of Istanbul earlier this year.
One of the busiest airports globally, Atatürk airport served over 60 million passengers in 2015.
