Turkey coup attempt: Britons describe gunfire and explosions

Britons in Turkey have been describing how they heard gunfire and explosions during an attempted coup, in which 265 people died, 161 of them civilians.
Alev Scott, a British-Turkish writer, says she heard gunfire in Istanbul's Taksim Square and low-flying jets.
The Foreign Office had "strongly" advised Britons to stay indoors, but recently said the situation "appears to be calming".
ABTA estimates its members have 50,000 people currently on holiday in Turkey.
More than 2.5 million Britons visit Turkey every year.Ms Scott said: "I was watching things from my terrace, watching the military vehicles on the Bosphorus Bridge and then these sonic booms started.

"It was actually quite scary so I went down into my flat just keeping away from the windows which had all blown open."British holidaymakers in Marmaris have also described hearing gunfire in the streets and an explosion.

Rhonda Jones, a player for Rangers Ladies football club, posted a video on Twitter of cars and scooters filling the streets in a procession loudly beeping their horns.

She described hearing "gunfire exchanged up and down the street in Marmaris" and "a small explosion".

Mike Baddeley, also on holiday in Marmaris, said he was woken by "a very large explosion, followed by, it seemed like one or two helicopters flying above our heads... with machine gun fire".Tim Trott is on holiday in Marmaris and said: "There is a military presence in the hotel, and we've had 20 or so soldiers in the reception of the hotel this morning with weapons."

Saima Alvi, a teacher from Altrincham, landed at Istanbul Ataturk Airport in transit to Qatar just after the coup attempt and found herself stranded with her family, including her disabled daughter.

Speaking from the airport she said: "I was in a small transit lounge with about 150 other people and everyone was crying, upset and scared.

"I found a point which was next to an exit but also wasn't near the windows and I had a plan of action, an evaluation if I had to get out quickly with the children.

"I went into autopilot, I wasn't emotional at all. I work in a school and we are trained for situations and I put that training into practice."Among those affected are 41 students and seven members of staff from the Arthur Terry School in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, who have been stranded at Istanbul airport, where they were due to get a connecting flight to South Africa.

The school said in a statement that its students are safe, had been in contact with their parents and were being accompanied by school staff and a member of the British Embassy.

It later issued an update on Saturday evening, saying the children are due to fly out to South Africa overnight on Sunday.

The attempted coup began on Friday evening when tanks took up positions on two bridges over the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul, blocking traffic.

Turkish officials said the attempt to seize control of the country by a faction of the armed forces is now over and 2,839 soldiers, including high-ranking officers, have been arrested.

Turkey's PM Binali Yildirim said 161 citizens had been killed and 1,440 have been wounded in clashes in a night he called a "black stain on Turkish democracy".

A further 104 suspected coup-plotters had also been killed, authorities said.Ahmet Kaz, 40, a restaurant owner in north London, said his three children were left stranded at Ataturk airport in Istanbul after trying to flee the fighting in the city.

"I'm worried because my family are there. From 10pm until now they are still in the airport - my three kids - they are safe."

Burcu Incekara, 37, a shopkeeper on Green Lanes in Haringey, said: "My sons just went to Turkey two days ago - they said they were safe at the moment."

But she said that F-16 planes had flown very near to their house.

"There were bomb, gun attacks from the soldiers to the police - it's not good," she said.

"They were scared, of course, because near where they are there is a place with soldiers and they are scared - everyone is scared."The Foreign Office's latest advice says: "The situation in Turkey appears to be calming following an attempted coup overnight on 15-16 July.

"The security environment, however, remains potentially volatile. Following earlier disruption, flights to and from airports in Turkey are returning to normal, although some disruption remains and you should check with your airline or tour operator before travelling."

The UK government's emergency COBR committee met on Saturday afternoon to discuss the situation in Turkey.Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson tweeted that he had spoken to Turkey's foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and underlined the UK's "support for the democratic elected government and institutions".

ABTA, which is the UK's largest travel association, also said travellers should follow Foreign Office advice, saying that the situation remains "fluid".

It added: "Reports from ABTA members in [Marmaris] today suggest that everything in the resort is returning to normal and holidaymakers are unaffected."

The Association of British Insurers said travellers should be able to transfer travel insurance to a new destination if alternative arrangements are made by those booked to travel to Turkey.

Turkish Airlines said its flight schedule had returned to normal from Saturday afternoon.

British Airways has cancelled all flights to and from Turkey on Saturday and flight BA675 departing from Istanbul on Sunday. It said the situation will be kept "under review".

Thomas Cook says on its website that its flight and holiday programme is operating as normal, but it is offering free amendments and cancellations for all customers due to fly to Turkey on Saturday and Sunday.