LISTEN: 'There were gunshots and people started running' SA man describes panic in Turkey
A South African trapped inside his hotel room in Turkey has described to TimesLive the panic in the streets of Turkey as a military coup happened right in front of his eyes.
Speaking from his hotel room, with gunshots raging in the background, Thabo Kgomommu says he was out at dinner with a Unesco delegation when locals told them to return to their hotel.
"The streets were quiet and suddenly there were police and gunshots and planes flying on top of us. It was very scary."
Kgomommu, who says he is there as part of Unesco meetings taking place in Istanbul, explained how he fled to his hotel room.
"The roads was barricaded and there were police everywhere. But now it's empty. We're in the hotel by ourselves and there are no police or security. We haven't heard anything from anyone. I just hope this is sorted out peacefully. It's so dark that you can see the bullets flying around," he said.
Kgomommu says he is in Turkey with six other South Africans.
Elements of the Turkish military announced they had seized control of the country in a military coup on Saturday, sparking bloody clashes in Istanbul and Ankara.
An AFP photographer saw troops open fire on people gathered near one of the Bosphorus bridges in Istanbul and state-run news agency Anadolu reported that the parliament in Ankara has been bombed.
@DannyGoulkan posted this video, tweeting: "We are helplessly listening to the gunfire from underneath our beds and hotel balcony"