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Mexico is sending its beloved search-and-rescue dogs to Turkey to help search for survivors in the rubble after Monday’s devastating earthquake that toppled thousands of buildings in the country.
atleast 16 dogsalong with their handlers, left for Turkey on Tuesday, according to Mexican Foreign Affairs Secretary Marcelo Ebrard.
“The heart of our rescue team is flying to Turkey right now,” Eberard said.
An official press release said the flight also included search and rescue experts from the Mexican military, members of the navy, “five foreign ministry officials and 15 members of the Red Cross.”
Eberard shared a video of the canine team, which included a Belgian Malinois, an Australian sheepdog and a Labrador. He also posted videos of members of the Mexican Red Cross and their dogs.
Mexico’s search and rescue dogs have become a symbol of the country’s resilience after the 2017 earthquake that killed hundreds of people in Mexico City.
Freda, a yellow Labrador who was part of the Navy, became famous for her dog sunglasses and sneakers at the time, Reuters reported. When he died in 2022, a life-size statue was unveiled in his honor outside the Navy headquarters in Mexico City.
She had rescued 43 people during her service, which lasted from 2010 to 2019, when she retired.
According to the statement, the team will land at an airport in the Turkish city of Adana, a major southern city near the epicenter.
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