‘We’re sad. We’re scared’: A day after Istanbul airport attack, Turks count the cost

The horrors unfolded in front of Mert Akbalik in the arrivals hall of the airport shortly after he finished his shift.

He pointed to where he said the gunmen entered Istanbul’s international airport, where he hid and where he saw shattered glass, pools of blood and one of the worst terrorist attacks in Turkey’s modern history.

He also pointed to the signs of resilience. By Wednesday evening, less than 24 hours after the attack, the glass and blood had been removed. Amid a heavy police presence, passengers hurried to catch flights that mostly resumed after delays and cancellations. Construction workers shouted as they repaired ceiling panels that had been blown out in the suicide attack.

“We have to come back to work today. We have to show that we will not be stopped by these monsters,” said Akbalik, an 18-year-old employee at the airport’s Sbarro pizzeria who witnessed the incident after just leaving work to catch a shuttle back home.

At least 41 people were killed and more than 200 wounded in an attack that involved at least three attackers who stalked passengers and airport staff with semi-automatic weapons before blowing themselves up. The victims were mostly from Turkey, but included at least 13 foreigners.

This nation has been badly shaken by this and a string of other recent attacks linked to Kurdish separatists and the Islamic State. Turkish officials suspect Tuesday’s incident to be the work of the militant group, but there has been no claim of responsibility.