Turkey has pointed the finger at the Islamic State group for a triple suicide bombing and gun attack that killed 42 people at Istanbul’s main airport. Istanbul’s position, bridging Europe and Asia, makes Ataturk airport, Turkey’s largest, a major transit hub for passengers across the world.

The Istanbul governor’s office said 109 of the 239 people hospitalised have since been discharged, but the health minister said 41 were still in intensive care. A witness told Reuters delayed travellers slept on floors at the airport, and that some passengers and airport staff cried and hugged each other.

A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said American intelligence agencies do not have sufficient evidence to conclude definitively that Islamic State was responsible for the attack.

The official added that Turkish authorities, taking the lead in the investigation, may have evidence the United States has not seen. President Tayyip Erdogan called the attack a turning point in the global fight against terrorism.

“Turkey is under attack from the world's bloodiest terror groups and it is going through a difficult test,” Erdogan said. 

“I have no doubt whatsoever that we will overcome this terror, this terror group and these terror attacks.”