German groups suspend Turkey quake rescue over security problems

A man sits among rubble in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake in Kahramanmaras, Turkey February 11, 2023. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane

KIRIKHAN, Turkey/BERLIN (Reuters) -Two German aid organisations suspended rescue operations in quake-hit Turkey on Saturday, citing security problems and reports of clashes between groups of people and gunfire.

The German International Search and Rescue (ISAR) and Germany's Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW) said they would resume their work as soon as Turkish civil protection agency AFAD classifies the situation as safe.