Turkey coup: 60 killed in Ankara

Ankara, July 16 (IANS) At least 60 people were killed during overnight clashes in capital Ankara following an attempted coup in Turkey, Xinhua news agency quoted the prosecutor's office as saying on Saturday.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, soon after he landed at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport earlier Saturday, said the resort town of Marmaris in southwestern Turkey was bombed as the attackers thought he "was still there".

He blamed the ongoing coup attempt in his country on the movement led by Turkey's Islamic scholar Fethullah Gulen now living in the US state of Pennsylvania.

The Turkish leader also revealed that his secretary general was taken away. "What are you going to do with my secretary general?" he asked.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said the situation was largely under control and 130 people had so far been arrested, the BBC reported.

He has ordered the military to shoot down aircraft being used by coup plotters, the BBC reported.

Earlier, one of the helicopters being flown by forces involved in the coup attempt was shot down over Ankara.

A no-fly zone over Ankara has been declared.

However, the whereabouts of the military chief of staff remains unknown and sporadic gunfire is still reported in major cities, BBC noted.

According to CNN, Istanbul's Ataturk Airport has reopened and news channels have begun broadcasting again, after being temporarily shut down by soldiers earlier in the night.