UPDATED 8.11PM: The death toll in Turkey's failed coup has risen to 90 with 1154 wounded, state-run news agency Anadolu reports.

Authorities have detained 1563 military personnel across the country following the overnight coup attempt by a faction of the armed forces, an official has told Reuters.

The soldiers attempted to overthrow the government, using tanks and helicopters and blocking bridges and taking over some media outlets.

The attempt appeared to have crumbled on Saturday after crowds answered President Tayyip Erdogan's call to take to the streets to support him and dozens of rebel soldiers abandoned tanks in the main city of Istanbul.

A successful overthrow of Erdogan, who has ruled Turkey since 2003, would have marked one of the biggest shifts in the Middle East in years, transforming one of the most important US allies while war rages on its border.

A failed coup attempt could still destabilise a pivotal country.

Erdogan, who had been holidaying on the southwest coast when the coup was launched, flew into Istanbul before dawn on Saturday and was shown on TV among supporters outside Ataturk Airport.

The uprising was an "act of treason" and those responsible would pay a heavy price, he told reporters at a hastily arranged news conference.
Arrests of officers were under way and it would go higher up the ranks, culminating in the cleansing of the military, he said.

Addressing a crowd of thousands of flag-waving supporters at the airport later, Erdogan said the government remained at the helm, although disturbances continued in Ankara.

However, in an emailed statement from the Turkish military General Staff's media office address, the pro-coup faction said it was determinedly still fighting.

Calling itself the Peace at Home Movement, the faction also called on people to stay indoors for their own safety.

Rebel soldiers who had taken control of military aircraft were still firing from the air and fighter jets had been scrambled to intercept them, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said, underscoring the ongoing uncertainty.

Gunfire and explosions had rocked both Istanbul and Ankara in a chaotic night after soldiers took up positions in both cities and ordered state television to read out a statement declaring they had taken power.

About 50 soldiers involved in the coup surrendered on one of the bridges across the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul after dawn on Saturday, abandoning their tanks with their hands raised in the air.

Earlier, about 30 pro-coup soldiers surrendered their weapons after being surrounded by armed police in Istanbul's central Taksim square.
They were taken away in vans as a fighter jet repeatedly screeched overhead at low altitude, causing a boom that shook surrounding buildings and shattered windows.

The coup began with warplanes and helicopters roaring over Ankara and troops moving in to seal off the bridges over the Bosphorus Strait that links Europe and Asia in Istanbul.

Authorities had shut the strait to tanker traffic, shipping agent GAC said.

The New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade was monitoring the situation in Turkey.

It was advising New Zealanders there to stay at their home or accommodation, monitor the media to stay informed of developments and let their family know they're safe and well.

A spokesperson says they should ensure they're registered on www.safetravel.govt.nz.

There are 202 New Zealanders registered on SafeTravel as currently being in Turkey.