Periscope and Facebook Live help document attempted coup in Turkey

As an attempted military coup unfolded in Turkey Friday night, with bridges closed, tanks rolling through cities and aircraft flying low overhead, news of what was actually happening was hard to come by.

Social media was a flurry of confused updates that suggested a terror attack, or perhaps a coup, but definitely something serious.

Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, meanwhile, were reportedly throttled as is increasingly customary in the country.

SEE ALSO: Facebook, Twitter and YouTube blacked out in Turkey amid attempted coup

Then the country's state broadcaster TRT was dramatically taken over by members of the military, and a statement was read out announcing that a "peace council" would now run the country and impose a curfew and martial law.

"The military has seized TRT, being told they're getting ready to make a statement," one person inside the station's offices tweeted ahead of the broadcast.

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“Turkish Armed Forces have completely taken over the administration of the country to reinstate constitutional order, human rights and freedoms, the rule of law and general security that was damaged," the statement read.

“All international agreements are still valid. We hope that all of our good relationships with all countries will continue.”

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim denounced the move as "illegal action" and said that the government would remain in charge.

The coup caught on livestreams

Even though attempts were made to block the likes of Facebook and Twitter, the sound of social media could not be silenced across the country.

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Periscope appeared to be running just fine, with numerous streams taking place across the country's capital, Ankara.

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Facebook Live, too, wasn't having any problems across the country. Most streams were inevitably broadcast from Istanbul near the top left of the map and Ankara closer to the center.

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Across the broadcasts, a picture of the night's events emerged.

One stream on Periscope showed confusion on the streets of Ankara while another from the city seemed to capture the sound of gunfire.

Another person on the ground caught footage, since unavailable, of tanks rolling down the street while yet another captured the sound of jets overhead.

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On Instagram, meanwhile, video clips appeared to show helicopters firing from the sky.

Nicht normal !!!

A video posted by Bünyamin Can (@bunyamincan_) on Jul 15, 2016 at 2:55pm PDT

Erdogan, in an address delivered by FaceTime in a cruel twist of irony for the social media silencing leader, urged his people to take to the streets to make their voices heard.

Many did so, and they used the networks the country has so often shut down to broadcast their feelings. The military, in contrast, told people to stay indoors.

Numerous livestreams seen by Mashableappeared to show groups of men congregating in public places and chanting in opposition to the coup.

Both Taksim Square in Istanbul and the city's main airport were filled with crowds, according to tweets and livestreams.

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One group in Sivas in central Turkey was heard chanting "stand tall where you are, the people are with you" while another gathered in Izmir, the country's third most populous city.

As the turmoil continued into the early hours of Saturday morning, the live streams showed no sign of abating.

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