Turkey confirms international passengers among dead in Istanbul

Official says 13 foreign and 23 Turkish nationals are among those killed

Turkish workers repair destroyed roof after multiple suicide bomb attacks at Ataturk international airport in Istanbul, Turkey, 29 June 2016 (EPA)

Turkish officials have confirmed there were international passengers among those killed in the terror attack on Istanbul's Ataturk airport.

An official said the death toll consisted of 23 Turkish and 13 foreign nationals, according to the AFP news agency, including one Iranian and one Ukrainian.

Shortly beforehand, the Iranian embassy had said it understood one of its countrymen had died, as well as a further five injured.

The death toll for Tuesday's attack on the airport stands at 41, though with almost 239 wounded officials said it could rise. Three suicide bombers carried out what appears to be a coordinateed attack, opening fire with automatic weapons before blowing themselves up.

Dozens of anxious friends and relatives waited early Wednesday outside Istanbul's Bakirkoy Hospital, where victims were taken.

Saudi Arabia's Embassy in Turkey said at least seven Saudis were injured in the attack and all are in stable condition.

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.

"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."

The independent Dogan news agency reported that a plane carrying Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama was arriving on an official visit at the airport when the attack occurred. The prime minister and his entourage were safely taken to an official residence.

The Turkish prime minister, Binali Yildirim, said early indications point to Isis being behind the "heinous" attack. He said in a statement early on Wednesday

A Turkish official said authorities are going through CCTV footage and witness statements to establish a preliminary timeline and details of the attack. "It is a jigsaw puzzle" said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government protocol.