60 dead as Turkey foils coup, Erdogan says culprits will pay heavy price

Moments after an attempted coup in Turkey which has been foiled following sporadic clashes in Istanbul and Ankara, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaking for the first time after the attempt, says the coup plotters will pay a heavy price.

The president who was speaking defiantly in front of his jubilant supporters in Istanbul hours after an army faction tried to topple his government vowed to stay on in power.

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Thus far, 754 members of the armed forces who were part of the coup attempt have been detained and at least 60 lives were claimed during the stand off a senior official told news agencies.

Following the ensuing development, the US state department issued an “emergency alert” to Americans in Turkey, saying: “Shots fired and explosions have been heard in Ankara and both bridges in Istanbul, the Bosphorous and Faith Sultan Mehmet, are now closed”.

Martial law and a curfew have been imposed in Turkey. All flights at Atatürk Istanbul airport have been suspended.

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