Austria, Germany suspend Turkey quake rescue due to worsening ‘security situation’

Vienna: The Austrian and Germany on Saturday suspended rescue operations in quake-ravaged Turkey due to the “security situation” in the aftermath of this week’s devastating earthquakes that killed over 26,000 people. “Austria has suspended its rescue operations in Turkey due to a worsening “security situation, a spokesperson for the Austrian military said without giving further details. The spokesman said the 82 soldiers from the Austrian Forces Disaster Relief Unit were sheltering in the southern Hatay province “in a base camp with other international organisations, awaiting instructions”. Defense Ministry Spokesperson Michael Bauer tweeted “Austria’s armed forces suspended rescue operations in Turkey’s Hatay province “due to an increasingly difficult security situation,”

Austrians had arrived in Hatay on Tuesday with 45 tonnes of equipment and were able to rescue nine people from the rubble. Meanwhile, Germany has also suspended rescue and relief work at the site citing security concerns. The German Federal Agency for Technical Relief has reportedly stopped its rescue operations due to a change in the security situation in the Hatay region, it said in a statement Saturday. According to the latest updates, more than 24,000 people have been killed and tens of thousands injured after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Turkey and Syria on Monday. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook ,  Twitter  and  Instagram .