Both Germany and Austria on Saturday stopped the search for survivors in the wake of the earthquake in Turkey out of concern for the safety of the employees.
It reports British BBC. The cause is clashes between unnamed groups in southern Turkey.
The Austrian Ministry of Defense later said, after receiving the protection of the Turkish Defense Forces, that work resumed.
Looting
Turkey has arrested 48 people for looting in the wake of the earthquake disaster and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday that looting and other illegal behavior will be cracked down on.
As a result of the disaster, the authorities have extended the time that offenders can be detained from four to seven days.
Over 25,000 have been confirmed dead after the earthquakes that shook Turkey and Syria on Monday.
It was reported on Saturday that Austrian military aid personnel had to seek refuge together with staff from international organizations after clashes between unidentified groups in Hatay province.
“There is increasing aggression between different factions in Turkey,” said Lieutenant Colonel Pierre Kugelweis of the Austrian armed forces in a statement, issued before the Austrian rescue operation resumed.
– The chances of saving lives are not in a reasonable relationship with the security risk, he added.
– Notifications of collisions
His assessment is supported by the Germans, who also suspended rescue efforts.
– There are more and more reports of clashes between different groups, shots have also been fired, says Stefan Heine, spokesman for the German ISAR (International Search and Rescue), according to the BBC.
However, the shots should not have been aimed at the aid workers, according to Dutch Telegraph.
Steven Bayer, who heads Germany’s ISAR effort in Turkey, expects security to worsen as water and food supplies dwindle and as hope of finding more survivors fades.
– We follow the security situation very closely, he says.
According to Reuters, German rescue teams will also resume work as soon as the Turkish authorities consider the situation safe.
The BBC writes that Erdogen has so far not commented on the unrest in Hatay province.
Also Dutch Telegraph reports that Germany and Austria suspended rescue efforts, but that the Dutch are continuing.
– We notice a changed atmosphere. For example, our people have seen looted shops. They themselves have not experienced any aggression, only Turkish hospitality. There is no reason to interrupt our work, but we are keeping the situation under close supervision, says a spokesperson for the Dutch USAR (Urban Search and Rescue Team) to the Telegraaf.
