These are the faces of the Istanbul airport bombing victims

A father-to-be and a son rushing to pick up his mother were among those who lost their lives after suicide bombers attacked Istanbul's main international airport.

Faces of the victims of the Istanbul bombing.

These are the faces of the victims of the Istanbul Ataturk airport attack. Source: Facebook

A total of 42 people were killed when three attackers struck at Ataturk International Airport in Istanbul.

Most of those who died in the attack were Turkish citizens, but there were also five Saudis, two Iraqis, one Tunisian, an Uzbek, an Iranian, a Ukrainian, a Jordanian and a Chinese national.

Among those who lost their lives were a father-to-be, a man about to be married, and a son rushing to pick up his mother.

Yusuf Haznedaroglu

Newlywed Yusuf Haznedaroglu was on his way home to his wife after finishing his shift when the bombers struck. Source: Facebook

Yusuf Haznedaroglu was due to be married in 10 days and was on his way home to his fiancee after finishing his shift for Turkish Ground Services. "All we know is that he was brought here heavily injured, and then we lost him," said the mother of Haznedaroglu's fiancee, speaking to state television.

Ertan An

Ertan An was looking forward to the birth of his second child. Source: Facebook

Interpreter Ertan An was married with one child, and his wife was six months pregnant with their second. He was with a group of tourists when he was killed.

Umut Sakaroglu

Umut Sakaroglu has been called a hero for his actions in trying to stop one of the suicide bombers. Source: Twitter

Customs officer Umut Sakaroglu, who had worked at the airport for three years, reportedly stood guard as one of the bombers tried to go through the first set of security gates. When he shot at him, the bomber detonated his belt, killing Sakaroglu. His colleagues have hailed him a hero, saying many more people would have been killed had he not acted.

Serkan Turk

Serkan Turk was rushing to pick up his mother from the airport. Source: Facebook

Former national wrestler and physical education graduate Serkan Turk, 24, was picking up his mother from the airport when the attack took place. When he heard the first blast he went to help those injured and was killed in the second explosion, the Turkish daily Yeni Akit reports. His friend Hakan Dagdeviren said Turk was a hardworking man who was full of life. "Serkan was a good person," he said.

Gülşen Bahadır

Gülşen Bahadır studied computer engineering and worked for Turkish Airlines. Source: Facebook

Gülşen Bahadır worked at the airport for Turkish Airlines. She was rushed to hospital after being critically wounded, but doctors were unable to save her. Her mother Fahriye Bahadir mourned her only child at her funeral on Wednesday, asking: "What has my daughter done to them?"

Göksel Kurnaz

Göksel Kurnaz was waiting to pick up his boss from the airport. Source: Facebook

Göksel Kurnaz worked for a private security firm and was waiting to pick up his boss from the airport when the bombers attacked. The married football fan followed Manchester United.

Muhammed Eymen Demirci

Muhammed Eymen Demirci started working at Ataturk Airport less than two months ago. Source: Facebook

Muhammed Eymen Demirci, 25, graduated from Istanbul University last year after studying public relations but struggled to find work for more than a year. He was thrilled to get a job at Ataturk Airport's ground services in May, and felt fortunate he could now help pay for his two younger sisters' education. He was waiting for the bus to take him home after his shift when he was killed by one of the bombs. His childhood friend, Deniz Dogan, had helped him prepare for the job exam. "He was such a friendly person, a man who fought for his ideals," Dogan told AP. "Now I wish he hadn't gotten the job."

Mahmoud Çizmecioğlu and Zeynep Çizmecioğlu

Turkish bombing victims Mahmoud Çizmecioğlu and his wife Zeynep Çizmecioğlu.

Mahmoud Çizmecioğlu and his wife Zeynep Çizmecioğlu both worked for ground services. Source: Facebook

Husband and wife Mahmoud Çizmecioğlu and Zeynep Çizmecioğlu both worked for ground services at the airport.

Col. Fathi Bayoudth

Turkish bombing victim Col. Fathi Bayouth.

Col. Fathi Bayouth was attending to family business when he was struck down. Source: Facebook

Tunisian military doctor Col. Fathi Bayoudth was attending to family business when the attackers struck. Quoting security sources in Tunis and Ankara, the Tunisian publication

Business News

said the Tunisian military doctor was in Istanbul to meet his son who had joined the Islamic State extremist group in Syria and had been seen in the conflict zone. His family, with the help of Tunisian intelligence, convinced him to leave the group and return home via Istanbul, said the publication.

Mustafa Bayrakli

Mustafa Bayrakli was a 51 year old taxi driver. Source: Facebook

Mustafa Bayrakli was a 51-year-old taxi driver.

Özgül Ide

Turkish bombing victim Yeni Ise Girmisti.

Yeni Ise Girmisti was a recent graduate who had just started a new job. Source: Facebook

Özgül Ide, a tourism and hospitality management graduate, had just started her new job.

Murat Gulluce

Murat Gulluce was bringing tourists to the airport. Source: Facebook

A hotel manager, Murat Gulluce died as he was bringing tourists to the airport. He adored his four daughters, calling them his "princesses" on social media.

Mahmut Mert

Mahmut Mert worked for Turkish Ground Services. Source: Facebook

Mahmut Mert worked for Turkish Ground Services.

Abdulhekim Bugda

Abdulhekim Bugda initially marked himself as safe on Facebook's Safety Check feature. Source: Facebook

Abdulhekim Bugda initially marked himself as safe on Facebook's Safety Check feature, so his family were shocked to discover the next day that he had died. "In the morning, we received the news that he [had been] severely injured and hospitalised," his relative Adil Batur told the state-run Anadolu news agency. "We went to the hospital and he had died. How did he get there... We still can't understand this."

4 min read

Published 30 June 2016 1:31pm

Updated 1 July 2016 10:24am

By Alyssa Braithwaite