Witnesses describe terror of Istanbul airport attack

ISTANBUL -- Witnesses described the terror and destruction that took place Tuesday when several suicide bombers hit the international terminal of Istanbul's Ataturk airport, killing at least 31 people and wounding some 60 others.

Roads around the airport were sealed off for regular traffic after the attack and several ambulances could be seen driving back and forth. Hundreds of passengers were flooding out of the airport and others were sitting on the grass, their bodies lit by the flashing lights of the emergency vehicles.

South African Judy Favish, who spent two days in Istanbul as a layover on her way home from Dublin, had just checked in when she heard an explosion followed by gunfire.

"Suddenly, there was just sort of layers of shooting and then an incredibly loud bang, which I presume must have been the bomb that went off," Favish told CBSN. "And then I ran for shelter beneath one of the counters and stayed there for about ten minutes."

Favish said passengers were ushered to a cafeteria on the basement level where they were kept for more than an hour before being allowed outside. Some of the travelers were having panic attacks and at least one man and one woman had been shot, Favish said.

"Coming out, two hours later, there was blood everywhere," she said. "One of the little rooms had been shattered. It was horrible. It was just horrible -- chaos and blood and people running around and anxious worried, and it was just horrible."

Twelve-year-old Hevin Zini had just arrived from Dusseldorf with her family and was in tears from the shock.

She told The Associated Press that there was blood on the ground and everything was blown up to bits.

Two South African tourists, Paul and Susie Roos from Cape Town, were at the airport and due to fly home at the time of the explosions and were shaken by what they witnessed.

"We came up from the arrivals to the departures, up the escalator when we heard these shots going off," Paul Roos said. "There was this guy going roaming around, he was dressed in black and he had a hand gun."

"A big blast happened. It was very big and inside of it (the airport) is very bad," traveler Ali Tekin told Reuters, speaking in Turkish. "They (other passengers) also said there was a gun fire, but I didn't hear. One person shot and entered. And there was two explosions. I heard the sound."

Turkey's NTV television quoted Istanbul Governor Vasip Sahin as saying authorities believe three suicide bombers carried out the attack.

A U.S. source tells CBS Radio News that three attackers approached the departure area at the Istanbul airport, threw four grenades, then opened fire with automatic weapons. They were wounded by Turkish security forces. The assailants then detonated the suicide vests.

Turkish airports have security checks at both 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.

A U.S. official told CBS News homeland security correspondent Jeff Pegues that it was too early to attribute responsibility for the explosions at the airport. But a U.S. official said two organizations come to mind at the top of the list: ISIS and the PKK (The Kurdistan Workers Party).

"The initial reaction is it is potentially Kurdish groups who have been amplifying their attacks...on the other hand, this also follows an Islamic State MO," CBS News senior national security analyst Juan Zarate said on CBSN.

In December, a blast at Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen killed one person and wounded another. Both were cleaners. Kurdish rebels later claimed responsibility for the explosion, believed to have been caused by a bomb.

Turkey has suffered several bombings in recent months linked to Kurdish or ISIS militants. The bombings include two in Istanbul targeting tourists -- which the authorities have blamed on ISIS.

The attacks have increased in scale and frequency, scaring off tourists and hurting the economy, which relies heavily on tourism revenues.

Istanbul's Ataturk Airport was the 11th busiest airport in the world last year, with 61.8 million passengers, according to Airports Council International. It is also one of the fastest-growing airports in the world, seeing 9.2 percent more passengers last year than in 2014.

The largest carrier at the airport is Turkish Airlines, which operates a major hub there. Low-cost Turkish carrier Onur Air is the second-largest airline there.