At least 2 killed in night club shooting in Istanbul

At least two persons were killed and many were wounded in an attack on a nightclub in Istanbul on Sunday morning, reports said.

Abdullah Agar, a security analyst, told Xinhua news agency that one police officer and a civilian died in the attack, which took place in the Reina nightclub, in the Ortakoy area, at about 01:30 local time (23:30 GMT).

While Turkey's NTV said around 20 to 30 people may have been wounded, Agar put the number of injured at 40 to 60.

The channel says two attackers were involved, while CNN Turk reported they were dressed in Santa costumes.

Another eyewitness said he saw four bodies lying on the ground. Witnesses also reported about an explosion.

Unconfirmed reports say one attacker may still be inside, BBC reported.

Istanbul had been on high alert for any terror attacks, with some 17,000 police officers on duty in the city.

There were reportedly several hundred people in the nightclub at the time.

--IANS

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