Ankara: Turkey on Saturday appointed a new acting army chief of staff after an attempted coup to topple the government, the prime minister said.

General Umit Dundar, commander of the First Army, has been appointed as acting chairman of chief of staff, Binali Yildirim said. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier said he did not know whereabouts of former army chief Hulusi Akar.

Coup soldiers in Istanbul surrender on Bosphorus bridge

Dozens of soldiers backing the coup against the Turkish government on Saturday surrendered on the Bosphorus bridge in Istanbul that they had held throughout the night, television pictures showed.

The soldiers, dressed in full camouflage, walked out from behind their tank holding their hands above their heads, NTV television showed. The state-run Anadolu Agency said 50 soldiers were arrested.