Xi sends condolences to Turkish president over Istanbul attack

President Xi Jinping sent a condolence message to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday for a gun attack at an Istanbul nightclub which killed 39 people on Sunday.

China strongly condemns the attack and firmly opposes all kinds of terrorism, Xi said in his message, adding that China would like to cooperate with the Turkish government and international community to jointly prevent and cope with the threats of terrorism.

The international community condemned the attack in the first hours of the New Year that killed at least 39 people. The gunman responsible for the shooting spree is still at large.

As more than 600 revelers were celebrating the arrival of the year 2017 at Reina nightclub in central Istanbul, a gunman stormed the club entrance and started shooting at random after firing at a police officer and a civilian at about 1:15 am Sunday.

Twenty-eight foreigners from nine countries are among the 39 people killed in the attack, Turkish media said.

The attack also left 69 others injured, with four in critical condition.