Regina family narrowly escapes suicide bomb attack in Turkey - Action News
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Saskatchewan

Regina family narrowly escapes suicide bomb attack in Turkey

Hasan Topal dropped his family off at the airport in Regina for a trip to Turkey. Hours later he was frantically searching social media to find out if they survived a bombing attack at the Istanbul Ataturk Airport.

'Nothing from now on is going to surprise me,' says Regina man Hasan Topal

Hasan Topal has been living in Canada for the last 15 years. His family was at the Istanbul airport yesterday, just hours before a suicide bombing attack was carried out. (Hasan Topal)

Hasan Topaldropped his family off at the airport in Regina, expecting them to travel to visit family in Turkey.

Hours later he was frantically searching social media to find out if they had survived a bombing at the Istanbul Ataturkairport.

"I started scrolling down and tried to find the details of how serious it was," said Topal.

"I was very much concerned about my family because I had sent them on the same day from here to Istanbul."

His family had left the airport just fivehours before the attack.Other families were not as fortunate.

The death toll in Istanbul after yesterday's attack is rising. At least 42 people werekilled and more than200 were wounded.

ForTopal, what is most frightening is how accustomed people are becoming toattacks of terror.

"It's happening in Ramadan. The month of peace and charity and love and tolerance," said Topal.

A riot police officer stands guard at the entrance of the Ataturk airport in Istanbul, Turkey, following a multiple suicide bombing, early June 29, 2016. (Murad Sezer/Reuters)

"It is so unfortunate, but apart from condemning what's happening, which is the least we can do now, I think what's happening is that we are becoming so accustomed to what's happening. This is not the first [attack]."

Topal places some of the blame on the Turkish government, who he said hadsilenced journalists in the past from writing about attacks of terror.

He wants to see more analysis and preventative measures to keepTurkey and other parts of the world safe.

"After a certain while, it's only those who are victims of the explosions that keep track of what's happening," said Topal.

"Other than that, society gets so accustomed to living with incidents that are so unusual, so abnormal, so cruel, like this one.

"I cannot think of any limits that will stop this, even for a while, even the month of Ramadan. Nothing from now on is going to surprise me."