Istanbul death toll rises

Istanbul: The death toll from the gun and suicide bomb attack at Istanbul Ataturk airport has risen to at least 42, with over 200 injured.

The attack took place at the city's main airport at the entrance to the airport with the three attackers opening fire before detonating their bombs once the police had returned fire.

Although, no group as yet claimed responsibility for the attacks, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim has said that the early signs point to the culprits of the attack being the so- called Islamic State.

Reports of the attack vary but it appears to have taken place before the x-ray security scanners.

It has not been established what nationality the attackers are but amongst the victims there are 23 Turkish of either dual or full nationality that have lost their lives.

Some flights resumed in the early morning after the attack with some cancellations and delays.

So far, British Airways have cancelled their service from London Heathrow to Ataturk airport and have advised anyone due to travel to check their website for updates .

A BA spokesman said: "Today the BA675 from Istanbul to London Heathrow and the BA676 to Istanbul and the return BA677 from Istanbul to London Heathrow have been cancelled.

The airline has stated that the safety and security of their passengers and staff was the top priority.

Iran has gone a step further and cancelled all flights into the counrty until it is deemed safe to resume.

The airport is the third busiest in Europe but is expected to close when the Istanbul Airport opens. The first part is expected to be operational in 2017 with plans for it to be the biggest airport in the world.