ISTANBUL, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Islamic State (IS) on Monday claimed responsibility for an attack early Sunday that killed 39 and injured 69 others in an Istanbul nightclub, Turkish media reported.

Photo taken on Jan. 1, 2017 shows the Reina night club in Istanbul, Turkey. The death toll rose to 39 in a shooting attack on the Reina night club in central Istanbul early Sunday morning, the Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu told the press. (Xinhua/Cenk Baklan)

Hurriyet daily news said the IS made the claim in a statement posted on social media.

A gunman stormed Reina nightclub early Sunday and shot at hundreds of people gathering there for New Year celebrations, leaving at least 39 dead and over 60 others injured. Many of the victims were foreign nationals.

Police have launched a manhunt for the gunman, who remains on the run after fleeing the nightclub in chaos.