The brother of Reina security guard Fatih Cakmak has confirmed that he died in the attack. Mr Cakmak was working at Besiktas stadium three weeks ago when a PKK attack killed at least 44 people.

Some American basketball players were next door to the shooting when it happened. They included Essence Carson, Chelsea Gray and Jantel Lavender from the women's team Los Angeles Sparks. 

The Associated Press news agency reported that about two dozen players are spending their off season playing in a league in Turkey.

After the attack, Carson tweeted that they were safe, and today she tweeted a greeting to the new year, with the wishes "be blessed".

He got to the club, checked in on Swarm and started partying to welcome 2017.

Ten minutes later, he was under attack.

Professional footballer Sefa Boydas said: "Just as we were settling down, by the door there was a lot of dust and smoke. Gunshots rang out. When those sounds were heard, many girls fainted.

"They say 35 to 40 died but it's probably more because when I was walking, people were walking on top of people.

"My girlfriend was wearing high heels. I lifted her and carried her out on my back," he said.

 Mr Boydas plays for Istanbul club Beylerbeyi SK.

We have compiled eyewitness reports from the Reina nightclub - read more here.

According to the Turkish state-run news agency Anadolu, some of the 15 foreign victims came from:

• Saudi Arabia
• Morocco
• Lebanon
• Libya

 The agency said this information came from Turkey's minister for families.  

One of the people killed in last night's attack was from Israel, the Israeli foreign affairs ministry says.

Her name was Leanne Nasser and she was the 19-year-old who had previously been reported missing.

She was from Tira.

At least 15 of the 39 people who died at the Reina nightclub were foreigners. 

BBC Monitoring
News from around the globe

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim has convened a meeting with senior security officials to discuss the aftermath of the Istanbul nightclub attack, Yeni Safak newspaper reports, external. 

The meeting is attended by Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu, Health Minister Recep Akdag, the governor of Istanbul province, Vasip Sahin, and other officials.

Eyewitness Mehmet Dag says he came face-to-face with the attacker.

 "I was in shock at the scene. I couldn't move anywhere. 

"First he shot at the police. After he shot at the police, he shot at someone who was standing there. Then he targeted the security. He took most of them down and went inside. 

"Once he went in, we don't know what happened. There were gun sounds and after two minutes, the sound of an explosion." 

"When I was in eye contact with him, the attacker was looking at us and smiling. Literally, I perceived him as saying 'you are free to go'."

Nobody has yet been detained in connection with the attack.

Queues of people have formed outside the forensic medicine institute in Istanbul, hoping for news of their loved ones who were inside the Reina nightclub last night.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Turkish newspapers are reporting that a security guard who died while working at the Reina nightclub last night had survived the twin blasts near Besiktas stadium three weeks ago. 

Fatih Cakmak was one of the first victims last night, the Daily Sabah reports, external, but survived a car bomb and a suicide bomb at Besiktas, where he was also on duty, when it was targeted by the PKK. On that day, 38 people died.

The official travel advice for UK citizens travelling to Turkey has changed in light of last night's killings.

The Foreign Office now says:

"There is an ongoing police operation in Istanbul as a result of the attack, and the attacker may still be at large. You should exercise vigilance and caution at this time, and follow the advice and instructions of the security authorities."

If you're planning a trip to Turkey and you want to check the advice closer to the time, this is the link, external.

Some initial reports and eyewitness accounts suggested the attacker had a Santa Claus costume on.

While CCTV footage showed him in a black coat outside the Reina club, it's worth keeping in mind that the black-clad gunman may not have been the only assailant.

Some eyewitnesses have said more than one person was involved in the attack, although officials have since said that just one person was acting alone.

If an attacker were to be dressed as Santa Claus, it wouldn't be completely ludicrous. Some of the 17,000 policemen patrolling Istanbul last night were dressed as Santa Claus - here's an article about it in English in a local paper, external.

The outfit would have been a good cover.

BBC Monitoring
News from around the globe

Iran's foreign ministry has condemned the Istanbul attack, the official news agency Irna reports.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin has sent a message to Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Kremlin said.

The message read: "It is hard to imagine a more cynical crime than killing innocent people during New Year celebrations.

"However, terrorists don't share moral values. Our common duty is to combat terrorists' aggression."

The two countries are joint guarantors of the Syrian ceasefire which began on Friday, while supporting different sides in the conflict.

Image source, AFP

The Greek foreign ministry has "unequivocally condemned", external (link in Greek) the attack in the country's neighbour, Turkey.

In a statement, it called last night's shooting a "brutal terrorist attack" and expressed condolences to the bereaved and solidarity with the Turkish people.

"Turkey is determined to continue to fight to the end against terror and to do whatever is necessary to ensure the security of its citizens and secure peace in the region," President Erdogan's statement said.

The country, which is fighting against both the Islamic State group and the Kurdish PKK group, has seen repeated attacks in recent times, many on crowded places packed with civilians.

Here is a list of some of the most deadly ones in 2016:

10 December: Twin bomb attack outside a football stadium in Istanbul kills 44 people, Kurdish militant group claims responsibility

20 August: Bomb attack on wedding party in Gaziantep kills at least 30 people, IS suspected

30 July: 35 Kurdish fighters try to storm a military base and are killed by the Turkish army

28 June: A gun and bomb attack on Ataturk airport in Istanbul kills 41 people, in an attack blamed on IS militants

13 March: 37 people are killed by Kurdish militants in a suicide car bombing in Ankara

17 February: 28 people die in an attack on a military convoy in Ankara

Newspapers in Israel, external say a teenage woman on holiday in Istanbul is missing and has not been in contact with her family since the attack.

A second Israeli woman has been injured but is not thought to be in a life-threatening condition.

It's not clear whether the women were in Turkey together or whether they knew each other.

A government spokesman confirmed the news without naming either woman.

  And the president of Israel offered prayers for the bereaved and the injured following the attack.  

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan described the attack as an attempt to "destroy our country's morale and create chaos by deliberately targeting our nation's peace and targeting civilians."

He described the attacks on Turkey as "heinous".