ISTANBUL: Two Indians were among the 39 killed in a lone man attack on the posh Reina nightclub in Istanbul. The attack that injured at least 70 odd people, was soon claimed by the Islamic State.
The deceased Indians are Abis Hasan Rizvi, 49, son of former Rajya Sabha member Akhtar Hasan Rizvi, and Khushi Shah of Gujarat. India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted, "I have bad news from Turkey. We have lost two Indian nationals in the Istanbul attack. Indian Ambassador is on way to Istanbul. /1" She also tweeted, "The victims are Mr.Abis Rizvi son of former Rajya Sabha MP and Ms.Khushi Shah from Gujarat. /2" Swaraj also said she spoke to Akhtar Rizvi. "He and Mrs Rizvi also want to go to Istanbul. We r organising their Visa," she tweeted.
She also informed that Indian envoy to Turkey Rahul Kulshreshtha has been asked to receive the families at the airport and make all necessary arrangements. Expressing his condolences, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, "Heartfelt condolences to the government and people of Turkey on the tragic loss of lives in Istanbul."
Rizvi, who is survived by his wife, son and parents, was vacationing in Turkey when he fell prey to terrorism. The Rizvi Educational Society issued a statement saying it mourned the death of its secretary Abis Rizvi and that his family has requested privacy in their hour of grief.
The 27 year old victim from Vadodara, Gujarat, Khushi, had shifted to Mumbai five years ago and opened a boutique named 'Khushi Z'. She had gone to Istanbul for business purpose on New Year's eve. Her father's business partner Nishant Ramani said, "We broke the news to Ashwinbhai late in the night. He is too shocked to speak." He said her brother Akshay and another cousin have left for Mumbai, from where they would go to Turkey to get her body. Visa for their tour was also arranged by the MEA. Sources said Khushi's family members had desperately tried to reach her after getting to know about the terror attack. However, they did not receive any update until they saw the news about Swaraj tweeting about the tragedy.
In a case of irony, the fashion designer's last WhatsApp status reads, "What if God asks you after you die... So how was Heaven?" She had arrived in Turkey on December 28, to meet clients, and was scheduled to return to Mumbai on January 2. Her friend Tanisha Singh said, "I asked her why she was celebrating New Year’s in Istanbul. She said she had a business meeting, so we planned to celebrate together after she returned. “She was such a jolly person, I have always seen her happy."
The nightclub attack shook Turkey just when it thought it is recuperating from a failed July coup, and a series of deadly bombings in cities including Istanbul and capital Ankara. A man barged into the club after killing a policeman and a civilian at the entrance, and fired 180 shots, before he escaped. A witness who survived the attack said, "At first we thought some men were fighting with each other. Then we heard the sound of the gunfire and ducked under the tables. We heard the guy screaming 'Allahu Akbar'.. Then we heard his footsteps crushing the broken glass. We got out through the kitchen, there was blood everywhere and bodies."
Nationals of Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Lebanon, Libya, Israel, a Turkish-Belgian dual citizen and a Franco-Tunisian woman were among those killed, officials said. Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said 15 or 16 of those killed at Reina were foreigners, but only 21 bodies had so far been identified. President Tayyip Erdogan released statement saying, "As a nation, we will fight to the end against not just the armed attacks of terror groups, but also against their economic, political, and social attacks. They are trying to create chaos, demoralise our people, and destabilise our country... We will retain our coolheadedness as a nation, standing more closely together, and we will never give ground to such dirty games."
