Six-year-old Julie, a canine dog of the Indian National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team, was awarded a commendation certificate for sniffing out and helping rescuers save the life of a little girl named Beren, who was buried under the rubble in earthquake-hit Turkiye in February this year, said officials. The female labrador, was part of the NDRF team that was sent to rescue and provide relief to the victims of the massive 7.8 magnitude quake that struck Turkiye and neighbouring Syria on February 6.
Julie received the 'director general's commendation role' award for helping in conducting excellent search and rescue work during this operation.
A senior official said Julie was chosen for this award for the specific role she played in sniffing out life from the debris of a multi-storey building, which led to the rescue of Beren. The girl was trapped for more than 70 hours, reported PTI.
Officials rescued Beren from the Gaziantep area of Turkiye after Julie sniffed and hinted at the presence of a live victim and a subsequent confirmation of the girl by a male labrador canine dog Romeo through barks.
Currently, Julie is working with the 2nd battalion of the NDRF that is based in Kolkata.
Over 1,60,000 buildings with 5,20,000 apartments collapsed or were severely damaged in the massive earthquakes on February 6, which killed thousands of people in Turkiye and neighbouring Syria.
As per the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), the death count in Turkiye due to earthquakes was 44,218, while in neighbouring Syria, the death toll stood at 5,914.
As per media reports, the government's initial plan now was to build 2,00,000 apartments and 70,000 village houses, at a cost of $15 billion.
Earlier, the UNDP said it estimated that the destruction left over 1.5 million people homeless, with at least 5,00,000 new homes needed after the quake destruction.