A friend of a Milton woman killed in a terror attack in Istanbul said the 29-year-old was a “great person” who always had a smile on her face.

Alaa Al-Muhandis, a married mother of two, was among the 39 people killed when a gunman walked into Istanbul nightclub Reina on New Year’s Eve and opened fire.

Seventy others were wounded in the attack. About 600 people were at the club at the time.

The woman was reportedly in the Middle East for a couple of months to visit with a sick friend.

Speaking at Looloo Auto Sales, a Milton car dealership run by the victim’s family, Ahmed Atrakchi, a friend of Al-Muhandis, described the young mother’s death as a “great loss for everybody.”

“It's a great loss for everybody and everybody is trying to cope with it," he said. "She was a great person. Always happy, always a big smile on her face."

Atrakchi described her as a "great mom" to her two children, aged 7 and three.

“She will always be loved and remembered."

Nathan Fadel, an employee of Looloo Auto Sales, remembered her as a "kind and loving soul" who helped run the family business. 

"Her loss will be forever felt within my soul," he told reporters Tuesday. "Her memory is in every life she touched. We're all in shock and are working to cope with this tragedy."

Friends say Al-Muhandis ran her own event planning business called Looloo's Arrangements. 

Ghada Saad told The Canadian Press that Al-Muhandis helped plan her baby shower. 

"She was a very, very nice girl, full of life and always so stylish," she said. "She was like my little sister."

Anna Diogenes, a resident who lives nearby Al-Muhandis, said she was shocked when she heard the news.

"Honestly, I was speechless. It was unbelievable. You know somebody across the street and then something like this happens," she said. 

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the attack and the gunman has not yet been apprehended.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau released a statement expressing his sympathies to families of the dead and wounded. 

"We mourn with the people of Turkey today and with all countries who lost citizens in this vicious attack," he said. "We also grieve the senseless loss of a Canadian citizen and remain steadfast in our determination to work with allies and partners to fight terrorism and hold perpetrators to account.

-With files from The Canadian Press