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Chilling footage has emerged appearing to show a gunman wearing a Santa Claus hat prowling the scene of the Istanbul nightclub massacre.

The CCTV appeared to show the shooter walking among abandoned drinks booths inside the Reina nightclub in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Another video, obtained by a Turkish newspaper, showed the assailant dressed in black and carrying a backpack as he apparently shot a police officer outside the venue.

A manhunt was underway for the attacker after he killed a policeman and a civilian outside the nightclub at about 1.15am, before entering and firing on people partying inside about half an hour later.

At least 39 people were killed and sixty-nine people were wounded – four of them critically – in the attack on the nightclub.

Turkish interior minister Suleyman Soylu said 15 foreign nationals had been identified among the dead and the Israeli foreign ministry said an Israeli woman was killed in the attack.

He said the attacker, who has not been identified, is still at large, adding: "Our security forces have started the necessary operations. God willing he will be caught in a short period of time."

It confirmed that 18-year-old Leanne Nasser from the Israeli-Arab town of Tira was killed. She was celebrating with three friends at the nightclub when the gunman broke in and opened fire.

Her friend Ruaa Mansour, also 18, was moderately wounded and another two friends were unharmed.

Heavily armed police were blocking the snowy street in front of the nightclub in the aftermath of the attack where the entrance is covered with blue plastic sheeting below a Turkish flag.

Crime scene investigators were seen inside searching through piles of mingled chairs, tables and pieces of clothing left behind during the panic among the guests. Turkish police boats were patrolling the Asian side of the Bosporus on the other side of the club.

Emotional scenes played out in front of a city morgue where those shot dead were brought for identification.

Some relatives cried out and fell to the ground as they apparently learned the fate of their loved ones.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said: "I vehemently condemn the terror attack in Istanbul's Ortakoy neighbourhood in the first hours of 2017."

Istanbul nightclub shooting 9 show all Istanbul nightclub shooting 1/9 People leave as medics and security officials work at the scene AP 2/9 An ambulance arrives near at the nightclub REUTERS 3/9 Young people leave the scene of the attack on the nightclub AP 4/9 Armed: Police secure an area near an Istanbul nightclub, following a gun attack REUTERS 5/9 Tributes: A man lays flowers outside the Reina nightclub REUTERS 6/9 Grief: Mourners grieve for the victims of the nightclub massacre AP Photo 7/9 Ambulances line up on a road leading up to the nightclub REUTERS 8/9 An armoured police vehicle blocks a road leads to a nightclub where a gun attack took place during a New Year party in Istanbul REUTERS 9/9 Gun massacre: Ambulance line the street at the scene of a mass shooting at a nightclub in Istanbul AP 1/9 People leave as medics and security officials work at the scene AP 2/9 An ambulance arrives near at the nightclub REUTERS 3/9 Young people leave the scene of the attack on the nightclub AP 4/9 Armed: Police secure an area near an Istanbul nightclub, following a gun attack REUTERS 5/9 Tributes: A man lays flowers outside the Reina nightclub REUTERS 6/9 Grief: Mourners grieve for the victims of the nightclub massacre AP Photo 7/9 Ambulances line up on a road leading up to the nightclub REUTERS 8/9 An armoured police vehicle blocks a road leads to a nightclub where a gun attack took place during a New Year party in Istanbul REUTERS 9/9 Gun massacre: Ambulance line the street at the scene of a mass shooting at a nightclub in Istanbul AP

Offering his condolences for those who lost their lives, including "foreign guests", Mr Erdogan added: "Turkey continues its combat against terror and is absolutely determined to do whatever is necessary in the region to ensure its citizens' safety and peace."