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Istanbul: Victims of Reina nightclub attack identified

Many Arab nationals among 39 killed on New Year’s Eve in Istanbul, officials said, as one remains unidentified.

Aftermath of gun attack at a night club in Istanbul
Video Duration 02 minutes 33 seconds
Published On 2 Jan 2017

Foreigners, including many nationals of Arab countries, were among the dead in the New Year’s Eve shooting rampage at an Istanbul nightclub, officials said.

A total of 39 people were killed in the assault at the exclusive Reina club on the shores of the Bosphorus and 70 injured, officials said.

Thirty-eight victims have been identified, Turkish justice ministry sources said late on Sunday. 

Eleven of the dead were Turkish nationals and one was a Turkish-Belgium dual-national, they said.

Seven victims were from Saudi Arabia and had travelled to Istanbul for New Year’s Eve celebrations.

Three of the dead were from Lebanon and Iraq each.

Two nationals from Tunisia, India, Morocco and Jordan were killed, and Kuwait, Canada, Israel, Syria and Russia lost one citizen in the attack.

One victim remains unidentified.

Relatives of Elias Wardini, left, confirmed to MTV Lebanon that he was killed in the attack [Elias Wardini/Instagram]
Relatives of Elias Wardini, left, confirmed to MTV Lebanon that he was killed in the attack [Elias Wardini/Instagram]

A former employee of the Reina nightclub cries following the attack [Huseyin Aldemir/Reuters]
A former employee of the Reina nightclub cries following the attack [Huseyin Aldemir/Reuters]
Relatives grieve at the funeral of Ayhan Arik, a victim of the attack at Reina nightclub [Osman Orsal/Reuters]
Relatives grieve at the funeral of Ayhan Arik, a victim of the attack at Reina nightclub [Osman Orsal/Reuters]
Sisters of Wardini mourn at their home in Beirut [Hussein Malla/AP]
Sisters of Wardini mourn at their home in Beirut [Hussein Malla/AP]
Source: AFP