Germany suspends rescue work in Turkey citing security risk

Germany has suspended rescue and relief work at the site of the deadly earthquake in Turkey due to security concerns on Saturday. The German Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW) said in a statement that it had stopped its rescue operations due to a change in the security situation in the Hatay region. Austria had also announced the same but resumed work after the Turkish army gave the workers protection.

The German rescue personnel had been operating with International Search and Rescue (ISAR) Germany, in co-ordination with Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (AFAD).

“In the last few hours, the security situation in the Hatay region has apparently changed. There are increasing reports of clashes between different groups. The search and rescue teams of ISAR Germany and THW will therefore remain in the joint base camp for the time being. ISAR and THW will resume their work as soon as AFAD deems the situation to be safe,” read the German statement.

Austrian rescue personnel resume rescue ops after getting protection from Turkish army

"The Turkish Army has taken over the protection of our AFDRU contingent. The Bundesheer soldiers have therefore resumed the search in the earthquake area," tweeted Michael Bauer, the spokesperson for the Austrian Ministry of Defence.

The Austrian Army had earlier announced that it had suspended rescue operations in Turkey due to an "increasingly difficult security situation," according to a statement on Saturday by the Austrian Forces Disaster Relief Unit (AFDRU). "There is increasing aggression between groups in Turkey," Lieutenant Colonel Pierre Kugelweis of the AFDRU said in the statement.

"There was no attack on us Austrians. We're all fine. The mood among the helpers is good, given the circumstances. We would like to help, but the circumstances are what they are," Kugelweis continued. "We keep our rescue and recovery forces ready. We are ready for further operations," Kugelweis added.

After the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, the #Bundesheer had to suspend its rescue operations due to an increasingly difficult security situation. 

Since Tuesday, 82 AFDRU soldiers have been deployed. They have recovered nine buried people.