site.btaBulgarian Injured in Istanbul Nightclub Attack, President, PM Condole with Turkish Counterparts

Bulgarian Injured in Istanbul Nightclub Attack, President, PM Condole with Turkish Counterparts

Sofia, January 1 (BTA) - A young Bulgarian woman was among the 70 or so people injured as a gunman opened fire at random in the Reina Nightclub in Istanbul's Ortakoy neighbourhood shortly after midnight. The news was broken by Bulgarian Foreign Minister Daniel Mitov in a Facebook status and was later confirmed on National Radio and Nova Television by Bulgaria's Ambassador to Turkey, Nadezhda Neynsky.

The diplomat said that the girl had undergone surgery and was hospitalized in intensive care in stable condition. She had arrived in Istanbul from Norway, where she lives, for the New Year celebration. Neynsky was speaking from the hospital where she said she will talk with doctors about the victim's condition.

The Ambassador said that she does not have information that any of the 16 foreigners killed in the terrorist attack was Bulgarian or that any other Bulgarian citizen was hurt.

Later on, Mitov reported on Facebook that a situation centre had been set up at Bulgaria's Consulate General in Istanbul in connection with the latest terrorist act in Turkey.

Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev Sunday sent a letter of condolences to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in connection with the terrorist attack in Istanbul, the head of State's Press Secretariat said.

"We were devastated by the brutal killing of dozens of innocent people gathered to see the New Year in at the heart of Istanbul. We were saddened and dismayed by this shocking act of terror, committed in cold blood against 39 innocent victims. On the first day of 2017 the entire Bulgarian people and I share your and our friendly Turkish people's grief. We trust that the culprit for this barbarous act will get his due deserts, experiencing the full severity of the law," Plevneliev writes.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov cabled condolences to Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim. "Terrorism again showed its face, bathing in blood New Year night in Istanbul. This time, the target was the life of dozens of free citizens of various countries. Bulgaria stands by its neighbour and ally, the Republic of Bulgaria, at this harrowing moment," the head of government wrote.

Foreign Minister Mitov also expressed solidarity with the Turkish people. In Facebook, he offered condolences to the bereaved and wished the injured speedy recovery. "As a EU and NATO member, as a friendly country neighbouring on Turkey, Bulgaria resolutely condemns the attack on civilians and expresses its solidarity in the protection against the common threat of terrorism," Mitov wrote.