A triple suicide bombing at Istanbul's international airport left 41 people dead, 13 of them foreign nationals, and 239 wounded, the city governor said in a statement.

The governor's office said 109 of the 239 wounded were discharged from hospital.

It said 13 of the dead were foreigners.

A Turkish official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said five of the dead were from Saudi Arabia, two were from Iraq, and one from Tunisia, Uzbekistan, China, Iran, Ukraine and Jordan,

No one has claimed Tuesday's attack yet but Turkish authorities said they suspect Islamic State (IS) jihadists.

Turkey remains on high security alert after a series of attacks on its soil blamed not only on the IS group but also Kurdish militants.

IS has never claimed an attack in Turkey. But authorities have blamed the grouo for several attacks, including a blast in Ankara in October 2015 that left over 100 people dead and an attack on Istanbul's busy tourist district Istiklal Street which killed three Israelis and an Iranian.