ASTANA – Kazakh-trained search dogs are helping in identifying the whereabouts of people trapped behind layers of concrete and the wreckage in Türkiye, the Kazakh Emergency Situations Ministry’s press service reported on Feb. 15.
The Kazakh rescue man and search dog in Türkiye. Photo credit: Emergency Situations Ministry.
The dogs are trained to smell a human scent, stand there, and bark loudly to notify rescuers of the location. The dogs have previously performed admirably in search and rescue operations in Türkiye.
“The dog team of Belgian Shepherd Malinois Jacob, Liga M Sirius and Axel, Labrador Charlie King, German Shepherd Mirta, Border Collie named Greenpeace help the rescuers locate the trapped victims in the rubble,” said the ministry.
Fifty-four trained rescue dogs are partaking in Emergency Situations Ministry missions, while 20 others are training to become qualified rescuers. Only some dogs can be trained and naturally skilled enough at searching for survivors. To be eligible, they should have physical and psychological traits, drive, determination, and energy.
Meanwhile, the Kazakh disaster medical team works around the clock in the earthquake-hit Türkiye. The team assisted 140 residents, including 17 children.
According to Kazakh paramedic Serikbay Akhmedzhanov, who has been working in Gaziantep since Feb. 8, the primary responsibility of the medical team is to monitor rescuers’ health, deliver emergency medical responses to quake victims, and place them in shelters.
“The locals mostly suffer from high blood pressure, stress, burns, hypothermia, and respiratory diseases,” said Akhmedzhanov.
