Dirco confirms South Africans Stranded in Turkey are back home

Dirco will continue working with its Turkish embassy to monitor the situation in Turkey.

FILE: People run away on the Bosphorus bridge during clashes in Istanbul on 16 July, 2016. At least 60 people have been killed and 336 detained in a night of violence across Turkey sparked when elements in the military staged an attempted coup, a senior Turkish official said. Picture: AFP.

JOHANNESBURG – The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) has confirmed some South Africans who were stranded in Turkey are now back on home soil while some are still making arrangements to leave Istanbul.

Turkish Airlines has been forced to cancel nearly 200 domestic and international flights following Friday’s attempted coup.

While the airline announced at the weekend it had resumed regular operations, it says there’s a high level of congestion at Istanbul’s main international airport.

Dirco's Nelson Kgwete says some South Africans who were caught up in Friday's attempted coup have arrived safely home.

"The airport in Istanbul is now operational and some of the South Africans stranded there have left."

Kgwete says while there were no South African casualties they will continue working with the Turkish embassy to monitor any developments.

"The embassy has created a WhatsApp group for those who are remaining in Istanbul so that they are able to share information about flights."

Turkish Airlines says the cancellation of flights in and out of Istanbul’s main international airport will also affect flights today.

Coup Attempt: State of emergency declared in Istanbul - Turkey

Unidentified helicopters are reportedly being spotted over the city, two days after a coup attempt.

FILE: People take cover during clashes near the Bosphorus bridge as Turkish military clash with people at the entrance to the bridge in Istanbul. Picture: AFP.

ANKARA - A state of emergency has been imposed in the Turkish city of Istanbul as armoured vehicles and an additional 1,800 special police forces are being deployed to key locations.

Unidentified helicopters are reportedly being spotted over the city, two days after rebel aircraft were used in a military coup attempt to attack police and government buildings.

President Tayyip Erdogan has ordered the deployment of at least a dozen F-16 fighter jets to monitor Turkish airspace.

The alert comes on the heels of reports that at least 42 military helicopters went missing during the coup turmoil.

There's speculation they might be used in another attempt to seize power by coup plotters.

The Turkish government's official line, however, is that the coup attempt has been squashed and since Saturday, there have been mass purges in the military and judiciary, with more than 6,000 people arrested, including generals, judges and prosecutors.

The mass arrests have prompted a worried response from European leaders, who are calling on Ankara to uphold democracy and the rule of law.

There is growing concern that Erdogan will use the failed coup attempt to entrench his rule.

He's openly called the coup attempt a "gift from God," that allows the government to "cleanse the army"once and for all.