The rescue dogs continue to work ceaselessly in the earthquake-hit zones in Türkiye's southeastern part as essential members of emergency response teams.
As true lifesavers, using their keen senses and training to bring hope and comfort to those affected by the earthquake, they have succeeded in saving many people trapped under the rubble after a 7.7 magnitude tremor early on Monday struck the Pazarcık district of Kahramanmaraş province – the epicenter of the quakes. About nine hours later, a 7.6 magnitude quake centered in Kahramanmaraş's Elbistan district rocked the region, affecting several other provinces, including Adana, Adıyaman, Diyarbakır, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye and Şanlıurfa.
As the search and rescue efforts continue in Malatya, the teams reached 60-year-old Meral Nakır, who was found on the first floor of a six-story building with the help of rescue dog Köpük, who saved her 77 hours after the earthquake. Köpük, which translates to Foam, works in tandem with the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) teams, helping them to access difficult areas in catastrophes.
After Köpük reacted to the sound, teams made contact with Nakır, who was determined to be trapped under the rubble. After carefully clearing away debris over 20 hours, a hole was drilled to access the place where she was trapped. After being carried by volunteers to safety, she was taken to the hospital by ambulance for medical treatment.
The teams conducting the search and rescue effort hugged each other and shed tears after the dramatic rescue. Soldiers, police, medical teams, the AFAD, fire brigades and health teams took part in the search and rescue effort.
Köpük, who traveled from Van to Malatya with the AFAD team to help the earthquake victims, has rescued six people, four of which were rescued from a demolished building two days ago.
A citizen, Uğur Şahin from Malatya, who was also affected by the earthquakes in Kahramanmaraş, supported search and rescue efforts with his hunting dog named "Alex" in a building located in the city center.
Şahin, who managed to escape from his house when the earthquake hit, took his wife and children to a safe area and then voluntarily participated in the rescue work conducted in the debris of a building on Tevfik Temelli Street with some of his relatives.
Along with his hunting dog Alex, who has been with him for about six years now, Şahin and his relatives continue to help teams with drilling and digging through the debris. Alex did his part by picking up the scents of victims buried in the crumbled concrete.
Saying that the injuries and damages inflicted by the earthquake will be healed together, Şahin said: "We were also affected by the earthquake. The concrete fell on us when we left the house. I tried to get the children out of the house at that time. They are in a safe area right now, and we are trying to do our best to keep them safe."
"We came back to the earthquake zone voluntarily with our equipment. We participated in the rescue operations with my dog Alex. He is a trained and very intelligent dog. He sat in the debris where the first body was found for a while. My dog is a hunting dog and is quite sensitive to smell."
Şahin also noted that citizens, who are able and have the equipment, can take part in debris removal efforts.
The search and rescue efforts continue in a 14-story building in Adana that collapsed after the earthquake. In the efforts carried out by three different teams and including a search-and-rescue dog, the teams intensified their search in the spots indicated by the dogs.
Thanks to the canines' keen sense of smell, the teams continue to save lives around the clock.
Meanwhile, the relatives of the citizens trapped under the rubble silently watch and pray on the sidelines while they wait for good news about their loved ones.
As countries all around the globe dispatch rescue teams to Türkiye, Mexico has sent their highly trained rescue dogs, along with their trainers, to Türkiye to help in rescue operations in finding survivors in the aftermath of Monday's devastating earthquake.
The 16 dogs and their trainers, accompanied by search and rescue experts from the Mexican army and navy, members of the Red Cross and Foreign Ministry officials, took off on Tuesday.
Mexico's search and rescue dogs have become symbols of the country's resilience and strength in the face of tragedy, especially following the 2017 earthquake in Mexico City that claimed hundreds of lives. One famous dog from the Mexican search and rescue team named Frida, a yellow Labrador, became well-known for rescuing 43 people before her retirement in 2019.
The team arrived at Adana's airport – one of the majorly devastated southern cities near the earthquake's epicenter.
