Austria halts rescue operations due to security risk as quake death toll tops 26,000

Austria’s military suspended rescue operations in Turkey on Saturday due to the “security situation” in the aftermath of this week’s devastating earthquakes that have killed more than 26,000 people so far. 

Turkey issued its first presidential decree under a state of emergency announced earlier this week, postponing legal procedures related to bankruptcy cases in quake-hit zones. 

The number of dead in Turkey and Syria rose to 26,232 according to Turkish officials and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which uses a network of activists on the ground. Tens of thousands of people are still missing.

The death toll exceeds that of the devastating 1999 earthquakes near Istanbul, when about 18,000 people died, according to official figures. 

The number of injured in Turkey is more than 80,000, the country’s disaster management authority said.

Turkey postpones some bankruptcy procedures

Turkey postponed some judicial procedures related to debt execution and bankruptcy across 10 provinces, in the first presidential decree published under a three-month state of emergency in the earthquake zone.

The procedures were postponed to April 6, from February 6, the date when twin quakes jolted 10 provinces in the country.

Austria suspends rescue ops citing ‘security situation’ 

Austria’s armed forces suspended rescue operations in Turkey’s Hatay province “due to an increasingly difficult security situation”, defence ministry spokesperson Michael Bauer said on Twitter.

“The expected success of saving a life bears no reasonable relation to the safety risk,” he added.

“There is increasing aggression between groups in Turkey. Shots are said to have been fired,” military spokesperson Pierre Kugelweis told APA.

25,000 Turkish soldiers taking part in relief efforts

Turkish defence minister Hulusi Akar said 25,067 military personnel were taking part in relief efforts.

Main opposition leader calls for tent donations

Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of the main opposition CHP, said there was a shortage of tents for those displaced by the quakes, speaking in quake-hit Malatya province on Saturday. 

He called on businesses with stocks of tents to come forward, promising to buy and distribute them.

Rust detected in some collapsed buildings

Turkish experts found low-quality material and rusty steel in collapsed buildings in Sanliurfa province after a probe by the chief prosecutor’s office, NTV news channel reported.

Critics say poor construction and inadequate inspections during construction were among the factors that contributed to the massive devastation.

Miracle survivor

After 122 hours, a 70-year-old woman was evacuated alive from the wreckage of an apartment building toppled by the earthquake in the southeastern Turkish city of Kahramanmaras, the state-run Anadolu news agency said. 

Soldiers on patrol around banks

Turkish soldiers have started patrolling streets where banks and jewellery shops are located in Hatay, one of the worst hit provinces, Fox TV reported.

Turkey denies damage to dams

Agriculture and forestry minister Vahit Kirisci denied allegations that the Yarseli dam in the quake-stricken Hatay province was damaged, adding he would inspect the dams in the area on Saturday.

One million survivors in shelters

More than a million quake survivors have been moved into temporary shelters, Turkey’s Vice-President Fuat Oktay said. Nearly 200,000 people have been evacuated from the quake zone to the west of the country, he said.