Turkey arrested 1,563 members of the armed forces early today after a failed coup overnight left at least 90 people dead and over 1,000 injured, a government official said.

Five generals and 29 colonels were dismissed, NTV reported. A general who was part of the coup plot was reportedly killed during the night, Yildirim said.

"A group within the military carried out an attempted, outside of the chain of command, to overthrow the democratically elected government," the president's office said in a statement.

Aerial bombings, military blockades and clashes between mobs and armed forces were reported across Turkey overnight. A helicopter used by soldiers backing the coup was shot down by a military jet over Ankara, broadcaster NTV reported.

Order was restored early today, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said. He called a parliament session for this afternoon. News footage showed extensive damage to the parliament building.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the plotters would "pay a very high price for this betrayal," in a televised address in which he vowed to purge the armed forces of rebellious elements.

"Turkey will not be ruled by the military," he told a crowd at the airport later, thanking his supporters.

The government appointed an acting head of the military after Chief of Staff Hulusi Akar went missing. He was "rescued from captivity" within hours, a government official said.

News footage showed soldiers in the early morning surrendering from the tanks they had used to blockade the bridges between the Asian and European sides of Istanbul.

It was not clear who was behind the failed coup.

Several military commanders and all four major political parties - including three in opposition - rejected the putsch, blaming a small group within the military.

Erdogan's government has drawn criticism and street protests amid accusations of increasing authoritarianism and a crackdown on the opposition and media. But there did not seem to be popular support for a military overthrow of the civilian government.

In Ankara, military jets dropped bombs near the presidential palace early today. There was still a "small problem" in the capital, Erdogan said in his speech at Istanbul airport.

Erdogan earlier blamed US-based religious leader Fethullah Gulen. But Gulen condemned the putsch, saying "governments should be won through a process of free and fair elections, not force."

State broadcaster TRT and news outlet CNN Turk went off air for several hours but resumed broadcasting early today.

Soldiers reportedly took over Ataturk airport in Istanbul and stopped flights for several hours, but operations were back to normal early today, Erdogan said.

The US White House said "all parties in Turkey should support the democratically elected government of Turkey, show restraint, and avoid any violence or bloodshed."

EU said it "fully supports the democratically elected government" of Turkey. "We call for a swift return to Turkey's constitutional order," said a joint statement by EU President Donald Tusk, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, and EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini.

Nato urged "calm and restraint" and respect for "Turkey's democratic institutions."

In Iran, Fars reported that two border crossings between Iran and Turkey had been shut down and that President Hassan Rowhani was planning a crisis meeting on the situation in Turkey.

- dpa