28 Dead As Bombers Attack Istanbul Airport

At least 28 people have been killed and 60 wounded in an attack at the main airport in Istanbul, the city's govenor has said.

Three suicide bombers opened fire before blowing themselves up at the international terminal of Ataturk Airport, Vasip Sahin told Turkey's NTV television.

The attackers detonated their explosives when police fired shots at them, an official said, citing information from the interior ministry.

A weapon lies on the floor of the airport following the attack

A witness told NBC News that he saw a police officer diving to tackle one of the attackers - who then detonated his bomb.

The attack happened around the airport entrance before the assailants would have gone through security checks, officials said.

Speaking in the Turkish parliament earlier, justice minister Bekir Bozdag said he could only confirm one attacker, based on initial information.

"According to information I have received, at the entrance to the Ataturk Airport international terminal a terrorist first opened fire with a Kalashnikov and then blew himself up," Mr Bozdag said.

Pictures posted on social media showed wounded people lying on the ground inside and outside the terminal buildings.

Two South African tourists, Paul and Susie Roos, were at the airport and due to fly home at the time of the blasts.

We came up from the arrivals to the departures, up the escalator when we heard these shots going off," a shaken Mr Roos said.

He added: "There was this guy going roaming around, he was dressed in black and he had a handgun."

Another passenger told the Associated Press that she hid under a counter after hearing an explosion and a loud bang.

Taxis were ferrying the wounded from the hospital and witness Ercan Ceyhan told CNN Turk he saw around 30 ambulances rush to the scene.

A Foreign Office spokesman said it was "urgently seeking further information" following the attack.

"Our staff in Istanbul and London stand ready to support any British nationals affected," he said.

Flights to the airport have been diverted.

British Airways flight BA680 from London Heathrow to Ataturk was returned to the UK in the wake of the blasts.

In recent months Turkey has suffered several attacks linked to Kurdish or Islamic State group militants.

The attacks include two bombings targeting tourists in Istanbul, which authorities blamed on IS.