The Austrian army curtailed rescue work in Turkey

Berlin, February 11 – Today, Saturday, an Austrian military spokesman said that the Austrian army has stopped search and rescue operations in the earthquake-hit area in Turkey because of the danger to the lives of the army posed by armed gangs that use firearms.

Kuglois explained that the army’s return to Austria is scheduled for Thursday, and until then the soldiers will be ready to return for search and rescue operations.

Earlier, 82 Austrian soldiers from the rescue unit were sent to the quake-hit Hatay region.

A 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck southeastern Turkey on Monday morning. It has become, according to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the strongest since 1939. In the afternoon of the same day, another earthquake with a magnitude of 7.6 struck. The tremors, which were followed by hundreds of aftershocks, were felt by residents in 10 provinces in the country and neighboring countries, including Syria. According to the latest data, more than 21 thousand people died as a result of the disaster.