Germany and Austria have suspended rescue efforts in Turkey after the earthquake due to clashes between armed groups

The bone rescue teams from Germany and Austria who work in the Turkish province of Hataymost affected by earthquake of this week which have devastated the south of Turkey and the northwest of Syriaannounced on Saturday the suspension of its operations due to an increase in security threats to its memberseither because of the growing tension of the local population due to the slow arrival of aid, or because of sporadic clashes between armed groups.

“Over the past few hours, the security situation in Hatay province has deteriorated,” they said in a joint statement, collected by ODAthe German Federal Agency for Technical Assistance and the humanitarian organization ISAR Germany.

Their teams are now at a common base in the city of Kirikhan and in the middle of a tense situation which they attribute, among other factors, “a shortage of food and problems with the water supply in the area affected by the earthquake”.

“Sorrow is slowly giving way to anger,” warned ISAR’s director of operations, Steven Bayer. However, both organizations ensured that they will reactivate their teams if they receive information that there are survivors under the rubble.

A few hours earlier, the army of Austria also announced the suspension of its rescue operations in Hatay, this time after verification clashes between armed groups not identified.

“Inter-factional aggression in Turkey is on the rise,” said Col. Pierre Kugelweis to the official Austrian press agency WHATafter acknowledging having received information from shootings in the area.

Hatay is the province most affected by the earthquake in Turkey, on the northwestern border of Syria, where some 900 people and more than 1,200 buildings were destroyed, according to the Turkish regime. It also houses some 400,000 Syrian refugees because of the war in the neighboring country.

Although the army does not identify these groups, the province has occasionally been the scene of clashes between the Turkish army and the guerrillas of Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), at war with Ankara for decades.

“The success of saving lives has no reasonable relationship to security risks,” added the colonel, at the head of a contingent of 82 military rescuers.

However, he was also keen to point out that this did not happen no direct attack on the mission, which will remain in place until the situation improves. “The point is, the circumstances are what they are,” he said.

(With information from Europa Press)

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