Istanbul airport attack: Turkey declares a day of mourning while the number of victims increases

The dead are 42; among them there are 13 foreigners. The wounded are 239 of which 41 were in serious condition. For Erdogan terrorists " were non-Muslims." Still no claim of responsibility. Putin reopen dialogue with Turkey.

Istanbul (AsiaNews/Agencies) - A day of national mourning was declared by the Turkish government following the terrorist attack at the Ataturk airport in Istanbul, which killed 42 people, including 13 foreigners. The injured are 239, of which 41 in serious condition and under intensive care.

Among the dead there are 24 Turks, five Saudis, two Iraqis, a Chinese, a Jordanian, a Tunisian, an Uzbek, an Iranian, a Ukrainian, a Palestinian woman. At least 13 of them have dual nationality.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim accused the Islamic state to have carried out the attack, but so far there has been no claim.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who declared the national day of mourning, also said that this attack is a turning point in the global fight against terrorism. He also said that the suicide bombers and terrorists of Istanbul "were not Muslims."

Among the messages of solidarity arrived from around the world, including the prayer of the Pope at the Angelus yesterday, there is the gesture of the Russian President Vladimir Putin. In a phone call to Erdogan, he decided to remove the restrictions on travel of Russian citizens to Turkey , imposed after seven months ago Ankara hit and destroyed a Russian military jet that was operating in Syria against the anti-Assad rebels.

After the terrorist attack, all flights were suspended for several hours. Ataturk Airport is the largest airport of Turkey and the 11th in the world, with its 65 million passengers in 2015. Air traffic went almost to normal and a part of the damage was repaired promptly.