PICS: SA police K9 unit commended for rescue efforts in Türkiye

As Türkiye and Syria recover from the deadly earthquake, the South African Police Services (Saps) K-9 dog unit and their handlers have been commended for their assistance in the rescue efforts.

The devastating earthquake in Türkiye and Syria has seen the death toll rise to a staggering 41 000 people.

The Turkish government and the UN have been making appeals for continued aid from both governments and individuals to assist in Türkiye.

Rescue efforts

South African police were among the many NGO’s and aid organisations in Türkiye assisting with rescue efforts after the earthquake had struck.

Spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe the team of officers which included five K-9 dogs, their handlers and a team leaders departed for Türkiye on 9 February.

“For the past week, the team has led numerous search operations for survivors and to recover the bodies of deceased victims.”

“The Saps K-9 search and rescue dogs are trained and used to search for missing persons and recover dead bodies. They also detect human scent, remains and are able to find victims of floods and collapsed buildings,” she said.

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Successes

Mathe said the team achieved a few successes.

“Among the successes achieved by the team is the recovery of an 80-year-old elderly woman who was found alive in a collapsed building.”

The National Commissioner of Saps General Fannie Masemola said  the team are the “epitome of pockets of excellence that exist in the organisation.”

“The team has been hard at work, searching and locating victims where excavators and rescuers would take over recovering victims. We are happy to hear that our role yielded significant results and we were able to provide closure to the people of Türkiye.”

“On behalf of the Saps, I would like to pay gratitude to the team who have displayed commitment and dedication to the cause of serving,” said Masemola.

The team are set to arrive back in South Africa on Saturday, 18 February 2023.

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