Ex-Bahrain resident recalls Istanbul airport terrorist attack

Manama : “We were all at home when the explosion took place. It was so strong  that it shook the ground beneath our feet.  We thought that the building was collapsing,” Mazin Al Hamawi, a Syrian national told DT News on Wednesday, after witnessing the horrific terrorist attack at Ataturk Airport on Tuesday night. 

The 29-year-old ex-Bahraini resident later came to know about the explosion from the Internet. “Everything was scarily quiet in the first few moments that followed the explosions until we started hearing the sounds of ambulances, fire trucks and police vehicles.” 

“We were too afraid to leave the house. The sounds of sirens continued throughout the night,” described Mazin.

He confirmed that none of his neighbours suffered any injuries but “everyone in the building was terrified.”

DT News reported on Wednesday that three explosions rocked Ataturk International Airport in the Turkish Capital Ankara, killing 41 people and injuring more than 250 people.

The Turkish authorities blamed the mishap on the Islamic State (IS) terrorist organisation, while the President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on the international community to make the attack a turning point in the global fight against terrorism.

Many countries condemned the attack but there was no announcement of the nationalities of the victims. Mazin said he had overheard people saying that there were Saudis and Kuwaitis among them.