- 2 January 2017
- Europe
REUTERS
Survivors of the Istanbul New Year's Eve attack have described how a celebration turned into a massacre.
They spoke of mass panic as a gunman sprayed bullets at partygoers gathered on the Bosphorus waterfront.
At least 39 people died in the mass shooting at Istanbul's exclusive Reina nightclub less than two hours into 2017.
Another 69 are receiving treatment for wounds in hospital as police hunt down the suspect.
However, those who escaped are surprised the death toll is not higher.
Professional footballer Sefa Boydas told AFP how he had to walk over bodies to flee the club, which he had arrived at just 10 minutes earlier.
"Just as we were settling down, by the door there was a lot of dust and smoke. Gunshots rang out. When those sounds were heard, many girls fainted."
AP
He said people appeared to be crushed as they ran away from the attacker.
"They say 35 to 40 died but it's probably more because when I was walking, people were walking on top of people," said Mr Boydas, who plays for Istanbul club Beylerbeyi SK.
"My girlfriend was wearing high heels. I lifted her and carried her out on my back," he said.
'Bodies on top of me'
Club-goer Sinem Uyanik also spoke of the bodies lying on the ground.
Her husband Lutfu Uyanik was wounded in the attack.
"Before I could understand what was happening, my husband fell on top me," she said, speaking outside Istanbul's Sisli Hospital in the early hours of Sunday morning.
"I had to lift several bodies from on top of me before I could get out."
Her husband's condition was not said to be serious.
Others spoke of their shock as events unfolded around them.
"We were here to have a good time today, but all of a sudden it transformed into chaos and a night of horror," Maximilien, an Italian tourist, told AFP.
Ismail Celebi, who was across the street from the Reina, described seeing people "running out, stepping on each other" after hearing a "bang".
"As far as we could see, people leaving had big wounds on their bodies. It's hard to believe," he told the Associated Press.
Officials say the attacker first killed a policeman and a civilian outside the nightclub before entering.
Mehmet Dag watched this unfold.
He said the attacker first shot at police, before targeting someone sitting on the ground.
"After the chaos there, the man targeted the security there. When he targeted the security, he took most of them down and went inside." he said.
"Once he went in, we don't know what happened. There were gun sounds and after two minutes, the sound of an explosion."
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