At least 36 dead after suicide bombers hit Istanbul airport

Update 10:06 p.m.: Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said at least 36 people were killed and 147 injured Tuesday in a coordinated suicide bombing at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport by three attackers. "The terrorists came to the airport in a taxi and then carried out their attacks," Yildirim said. "The fact that they were carrying guns added to the toll. Preliminary findings suggest all three attackers first opened fire, then detonated themselves." No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, and Yildirim said signs are pointing to the Islamic State, but he did not elaborate. Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozag told CNN no bombs were actually detonated within airport buildings; one blast occurred on the pavement outside the terminal and another at the airport entrance security gate. The airport was closed, and has since reopened. Our original post appears below.

Istanbul's Ataturk Airport was hit by two explosions Tuesday, leaving 10 people dead and wounding at least 20 others, Turkey's justice minister said. Officials have reported that the explosions were the work of two suicide bombers. Gunfire was also reportedly "heard from the car park at the airport," one witness told Reuters, and taxis are reportedly shuttling injured people away from the airport.

The Ataturk Airport features X-ray scanners at a checkpoint at the entrance to the international terminal, and then a separate security checkpoint further inside the terminal, BuzzFeed News' Middle East correspondent Borzou Daragahi explained. Turkish officials said police at the outer checkpoint shot at the two attackers as they approached the terminal entrance, at which point they detonated their bombs.

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BBC Turkey correspondent Mark Lowen, who landed at Ataturk apparently right after the explosions, noted that the airport has long been considered a "vulnerable target" because of its lack of vehicle screening. The attacks follow several recent bombings in Turkey that have been tied to either Kurdish or Islamic State militants.