Cape Town - A team of South African Police Service Search and Rescue (SAR) K9 Unit have been lauded for their valiant efforts in quake-hit regions in Türkiye in February, by president Recep Erdoğan.
The team, consisting of five sniffer dogs, handlers and team lead was acknowledged during a special ceremony held at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, Türkiye, on Tuesday.
Team lead Brigadier Vimla Moodley was in attendance to receive a medal of supreme sacrifice on behalf of the team.
The twin-quakes caused immeasurable devastation in the affected 11 provinces in Türkiye, and Syria.
Team leaders of the nearly 100 countries who dispatched rescue teams to Türkiye, accompanied by their respective ambassadors, were present at the ceremony.
The search and rescue K9 unit formed part of the rescue team facilitated by the relief organisation Gift of the Givers (GOTG), who sent a team of medical and search and rescue personnel to Türkiye.
The team were in Türkiye for six days, with four days of travelling due to the difficulty and distance in reaching the hard-hit areas, and successfully retrieved a live 90-year-old and recovered more than 200 bodies.
“It is indeed a great honour for the SAPS and the K9 team, especially, to be presented personally by a president of a country. It reflects how much they appreciated our assistance and the extent of the disaster,” Moodley said.
The SAPS K9 search and rescue teams previously provided search and rescue assistance during the earthquake which hit Haiti in 2010.
GOTG founder and chairperson Dr Imtiaz Sooliman said the SAPS K9 unit was central to making a huge impact in the Turkish relief mission.
“Many foreign teams requested help from the K9s. The SAPS team were professional, dedicated, committed and caring. They were a huge credit to the SAPS and South Africa.”
Sooliman said the supply of tents, blankets, wheelchairs, warm meals, medical support and housing reconstruction was ongoing in Syria.
During his State of the Nation Address in February, President Cyril Ramaphosa said the country was immensely proud of the efforts of GOTG to help those affected by the earthquakes.
shakirah.thebus@inl.co.za