Lusa said Prime Minister Maria das Neves and the minister of defense were detained in the coup.

The military have also captured the country's radio and television stations, which have both stopped transmission, Lusa said.

No injuries were reported and the streets of the capital were said to be mostly empty.

The Portuguese ambassador in Sao Tome, Mario de Jesus Santos, was quoted by a Portuguese radio as saying that the capital city was calm.

President Fradique de Menezes is currently in Nigeria on a private visit.

Sao Tome and Principe, which has a population of roughly 140,000, lies in the Gulf of Guinea, about 240 km off the coast of Gabon.

(Xinhua News Agency July 16, 2003)