ZURICH – The Austrian army has suspended rescue operations in quake-hit Turkiye due to “an increasingly difficult security situation”, its spokesperson said in a tweet on Saturday.
Ministry spokesperson Michael Bauer tweeted that the Austrian Forces Disaster Relief Unit (AFDRU) was available for further rescue operations when the working environment became safe.
“The chances of saving a life bears no reasonable relation to the safety risk,” Lieutenant Colonel Pierre Kugelweis said in a statement on Saturday. “There is increasing aggression between groups in Turkiye,” he said.
AFP news agency reported clashes between unidentified groups, and that Austrian troops were sheltering in a base camp with other international organizations and were awaiting instructions.
Turkish authorities have not commented on any unrest in the area, but President Tayyip Erdogan commented on the general security situation on Saturday, noting that a state of emergency had been declared and that there had been some looting.(Reuters)
