Turkish army chief Hulusi Akar was rescued on Saturday (July 16) hours after he was taken hostage by rebel soldiers, private Dogan news agency reported.

Footage released by Turkish prime ministry showed Akar disembarking from a helicopter upon his arrival to the crisis centre at prime ministry palace.

Turkey had appointed the head of its First Army, a group of divisions within its land forces, as acting chief of military staff on Saturday while the whereabouts of the head of the armed forces was unknown, a senior Turkish official told Reuters.

Umit Dundar was appointed after the head of the military could not be accounted during the chaos following an attempted coup by rebels in the armed forces. Local media reports said earlier the chief of staff had been taken hostage.