Vienna, Jan 11. A team of Austrian army rescuers has suspended work in Turkey due to the deteriorating security situation due to the actions of uncontrolled groups, a military spokesman has reported.
“The expected success of the rescues is disproportionate to the security risk,” spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Pierre Kugelweis told the APA news agency.
“There are more and more attacks between different groups in Turkey. It seems that there were even gunshots in some areas,” he added.
A group of 82 members of the military disaster relief unit has been deployed since Tuesday in Hatay province, one of the hardest hit by Monday’s devastating earthquakes.
Rescuers did not carry out more rescue operations on Saturday due to the security situation. “We would like to continue to help, but the circumstances are what they are,” the army said.
The Austrian team did not suffer any damage or aggression and the measure is a precautionary measure. The soldiers indicate that as soon as they see that the situation calms down they will resume their work since they continue to plan to return next Thursday.
Devastating earthquakes in southern Turkey and northern Syria have already claimed more than 24,000 lives, a figure that is feared to continue to rise.EFE
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