The recent disaster known as the Turkey Earthquake, flattened thousands of buildings, trapped a huge number of people, and killed and hurt a lot of people.
It was reported that over 15,000 people in Turkey and Syria have been killed as a result of the natural disaster with plenty more victims currently being located.
Following the disaster, countries all over the world have stepped up and offered to help the disaster stricken country, and this includes Malaysia, who recently pledged to donate over US$2 million (over RM8.6 million) to the 2 countries.
But it does not end there. According to the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM), tracker dogs Denti and Frankie will be involved in the mission for earthquake victims in southern Turkiye.
According to BERNAMA, the second batch of rescuers from Malaysia comprises of 20 Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (SMART) personnel, JBPM (30) and 30 members of the Civil Defence Force (APM).
JBPM’s Tactical Operations Rescue Team of Malaysia (STORM) chief commander Ismail Abd Ghani said, “The purpose of us bringing these tracker dogs is to maximise the (rescue) effort when we are there as their role is to find the victims’ locations” and that they have been trained to find victims, alive or deceased.
“The dogs are part of SMART, so they are ready to be deployed anywhere abroad.”
When asked if Denti and Frankie could survive the 11-hour flight to Istanbul, Ismail said it was not an issue with the dogs as they had been assessed for their ability to travel by air before their procurement.
He also explained that Denti and Frankie were involved in the SAR operations of the landslide tragedy at Father’s Organic Farm campsite, Batang Kali in December.
Meanwhile, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah, Sarawak Affairs and Special Duties) Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali said the canines were included in the mission to ensure the Malaysian rescue team can carry out SAR operations more effectively.
We hope that Denti and Frankie will prove to be a huge help to the rescue operations in Turkey.
Also read: The K9 Unit From Batang Kali Landslide SAR Ops Receives ‘Golden Performance’ Medals!
