Your trusted source

A failed military coup has left scores dead throughout Turkey including 60 civilian protesters who heeded the call of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to resist the attempt to overthrow the democratically elected government.

According to Al Jazeera report, some 754 members of the armed forces were detained across the country.

According to the reports, late on Friday, sections of the army had officially declared a coup and martial law, saying they had "taken control of the country" as Istanbul's main airport was closed and fighter jets were seen in the skies.

Turkey's intelligence agency MIT was targeted by hijacked helicopters but the coup attempt was "foiled", its spokesman told NTV television.

The coup attempt was launched when army factions blocked bridges, fighter jets were spotted in the skies and gunfire and loud explosions were heard in Istanbul, the country's biggest city, and Ankara.

The headquarters of state-run broadcaster TRT World were taken over and a presenter read out a statement from the group behind the coup, which she later said she was forced to do at gunpoint.

Speaking at a news conference, Erdogan said the attempt to push him from power was "an act of treason" and that those behind the plot would "pay a heavy price". He said said he would stay with his "people" and not go anywhere.

In Ankara, jets dropped bombs over the Bestepe district, where the presidential palace is located, with plumes of black smoke seen rising early on Saturday, NTV reported.

There were also reports of an explosion at the parliament building in the capital.