Istanbul: Multiple explosions rocked Istanbul’s Ataturk airport June 28 night, killing 41 people and wounding almost 230.

Suicide bombers opened fire before blowing themselves up at the entrance to the main international airport, Turkish officials and witnesses said.

Police fired shots to try to stop the attackers just before they reached a security checkpoint at the arrivals hall but they blew themselves up.

Istanbul governor Vasip Sahin said that three suicide bombers carried out the attack. Officials had previously said one or two attackers had blown themselves up at the entrance to the international terminal at the airport after police fired at them.

Another official said attackers detonated explosives at the entrance of the international terminal after police fired at them, before entering the x-ray security check at the airport entrance.

Turkish airports have security checks at both at the entrance of terminal buildings and then later before entry to departure gates.

The private DHA news agency said the wounded, among them police officers, were being transferred to Bakirkoy State Hospital.

Turkey has suffered several bombings in recent months linked to Kurdish or Islamic State group militants. The bombings included two in Istanbul targeting tourists _ which the authorities have blamed on the Islamic State group. The attacks have increased in scale and frequency, scaring off tourists and hurting the economy, which relies heavily on tourism revenues.

The state-run Anadolu agency said around 60 people were wounded, six of them seriously.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

Ataturk is Turkey’s largest airport and a major transport hub for international travelers. Pictures posted on social media from the site showed wounded people lying on the ground inside and outside one of the terminal buildings.

Television footage showed ambulances rushing to the scene. One witness told CNN Turk that gunfire was heard from the car park at the airport. Taxis were ferrying wounded people from the airport, the witness said.

Authorities halted the takeoff of scheduled flights from the airport and passengers were transferred to hotels, a Turkish Airlines official said. Earlier an airport official said some flights to the airport had been diverted.