Several hundred youths, many of them with scarves over their faces, threw stones at the police and smashed police and civilian vehicles during the demonstration in the city's main Taksim Square.

Police responded with water cannon and tear gas grenades and made several arrests.

Demonstrators brandished portraits of those killed in the air strike, which Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party earlier said may have been a blunder.

"According to initial reports, these people were smugglers and not terrorists," said the party's vice-president Huseyin Celik.