Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza, the target of an attempted coup in his central African country, is currently in a secret location in Tanzania's port city of Dar es Salaam, official Tanzanian sources said Thursday.

"He is in Dar es Salaam, we cannot tell you where. We cannot bring him to the same hotel for security reasons," one of the sources, a senior Tanzanian presidential security official, told AFP.

Nkurunziza was in Tanzania on Wednesday for talks with regional leaders when a top general announced he was launching an attempted coup to stop the president from seeking a controversial third term in office.

The president tried to return home by flight but pro-coup security forces closed the airport.

The Citizen reported that Nkurunziza was forced to return to Dar es Salaam and immediately whisked into Serena Hotel after the aborted flight to Burundi.

However, there were reports that Nkurunziza had attempted to fly to Entebbe, Uganda, before returning to Dar es Salaam.

Additional reporting by The Citizen