Mexico is dispatching its famous search and rescue dogs to Turkey to assist in locating survivors in the aftermath of Monday’s devastating earthquake which resulted in thousands of death and destroyed buildings, according to Mexico’s Foreign Affairs.
Marcelo Ebrard, Mexico’s Foreign Affairs Secretary confirmed that at least 16 dogs, together with their handlers, took off for Turkey on Tuesday.
“The heart of our rescue team is currently flying to Turkey,” Ebrard said.
The foreign minister shared a video showcasing the canine team, consisting of Belgian Malinois, Australian Sheepdogs, and Labradors. He also posted clips featuring members of the Mexican Red Cross and their canine companions.
The following canines are traveling to Turkey and have training in search and rescue:
- Rex, July, Orly, and Balam, from the Red Cross
- Timba from Sedena
- Ecko from Mexicos Navy Ministry (SEMAR)
Eight years old July is accompanied by Anneth Villafaña while Ángel Hernández took Rex which is a puppy with five years of training. Meanwhile, Timba and Ecko, which have also been taken to Turkey, had previously helped in the rescue of the earthquake in Mexico City on September 2017, along with Frida and Evil.
Mexico’s search and rescue dogs gained recognition as symbols of the country’s resilience in the aftermath of the devastating 2017 earthquake in Mexico City, which claimed hundreds of lives.
Mexican rescue team
A plane from the Mexican Air Force departed with a cargo of humanitarian aid and a team of approximately 100 rescuers, to assist in rescue efforts in Turkey. According to a press release shared by the government of Mexico, the flight to Turkey included search and rescue experts from the Mexican army, members of the navy, and “five foreign ministry officials and 15 members of the Red Cross”.
These dogs are trained to sniff out humans and alert their handlers by barking and scratching the ground where the smell is strongest.
Canine teams from other countries
Mexico is not the only country sending dogs to help with the rescue efforts in Turkey and Syria. United States, Germany, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Greece, Libya, Pakistan, Poland, Switzerland, the UK, and South Korea are all also deploying canines with their handlers.
Soeben sind unsere Teams ins Katastrophengebiet #Erdbeben #Türkei abgeflogen. Zur Unterstützung unserer türkischen Partnerorganisation, der Rettungsorganisation GEA. Ein zweites grosses Team mit der Rettungskette Schweiz. pic.twitter.com/Y8HuBRKw6j
— REDOG Medienstelle (@redogtweets) February 6, 2023
Death toll continues to rise
The combined confirmed death toll from Monday’s quake, which struck a swathe of southern Turkey and neighboring Syria, rose to more than 11,000 people on Wednesday. The tally was expected to rise as hundreds of collapsed buildings in many cities have become tombs for people who had been asleep in their homes when the quake hit in the early morning.