UPDATE - World beams Turkish flag colors to show solidarity

UPDATES TO ADD ACT OCCURRED WORLDWIDE

By Jill Fraser

MELBOURNE (AA) - Australia was just one of the many countries worldwide to light up buildings overnight with splashes of red and white, in memory of the victims of a terror attack on Turkey’s main airport in Istanbul.

A building housing the state of Victoria's parliament in the city of Melbourne, the city's historic state library and its arts center, were streamed with the colors of the Turkish flag in memory of the 42 people who lost their lives and the hundreds injured during Tuesday's attack on Ataturk International Airport.

Elsewhere, Berlin’s famous Brandenburg Gate, Paris’s Eiffel Tower, Amsterdam’s Royal Palace, Bosnia and Herzegovina's historic Mostar Bridge, the Kuwait Towers, and the Tbilisi TV Broadcasting Tower in Georgia also received the same treatment.

New York showed its support by shutting of the Empire State Building's lights, while Canada’s largest city, Toronto, illuminated a large sign in the colors of the Turkish flag.

In a Facebook statement, Victoria State Premier Daniel Andrews said the decision to flood the buildings with light was a symbol of solidarity with the people of Turkey.

“Honoring those who died, sending love to those who grieve... Turkey: Victoria stands with you,” Andrews wrote.

“There are always two victims of terrorism... First, the innocent men, women and children caught in its immediate wrath. Second, the billions of decent people worldwide -- even as far away as Australia -- who may observe different faiths, and who may hoist different flags, but who are all loyal to the values of dignity, respect and peace," the state premier added.

"Our hearts go out to those who died in the airport in Istanbul, and the people they loved and held dear.”

Melbourne has a sizeable Turkish community.

*Anadolu Agency correspondent Hatice Kesgin contributed to this report from Ankara.