At least another 40 were injured in a terror attack which took place in the Reina nightclub, in the Ortakoy area, at about 01:30 local time (22:30 GMT).
One attacker was involved, the governor said, while CNN Turk reported he was dressed in a Santa Claus costume.
"A terrorist with a long-range weapon ... brutally and savagely carried out this incident by firing bullets on innocent people who were there solely to celebrate the New Year and have fun," Mr Sahin told reporters at the scene of the upmarket Reina nightclub, which sits on the banks of Bosphorus in the city's European side.
The club was popular not only with Turks, but with foreigners as well, according to the BBC's Selin Girit in Istanbul.
She said it was unclear what had happened to the gunman at this stage - adding that some eyewitnesses spoke of there being not one but two attackers.
There were reportedly as many as 700 people in the nightclub at the time of the attack, some of whom are believed to have jumped into the water to escape.
Meanwhile, the Turkish government has ordered a temporary media blackout in the wake of the attack, citing security and public order concerns.
0 comments: