"A military helicopter went down while making a forced landing in a housing complex in Cekmekoy district," Istanbul governor Ali Yerlikaya said on Twitter.

"Four of our injured soldiers on board the helicopter have been taken to hospital," Yerlikaya said in another tweet shortly after.

Images on Turkish television showed thick black smoke emanating from behind a white wall at the site on the Asian side of Istanbul.

Four Turkish soldiers were killed last November after a military helicopter crashed in another residential area of Istanbul, hitting a four-storey building.