04 March 2023 , 01:17
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Rescue dogs that helped in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake that killed thousands of people in Turkey and Syria have been flown home first class.
Turkish Airlines upgraded the pooches in honour of their service following the 7.8-magnitude quake, which left over 50,000 dead.
Thousands more are still unaccounted for, either dead or somehow still alive, trapped beneath the rocks and unable to escape.
Turkish Airlines felt the hero dogs ' work meant they deserved better than to travel in the cargo hold.
Rescue dogs from across the globe formed part of the relief effort, with canines from countries including the UK, United States, Germany, Libya, China and Thailand helping in the search for survivors.
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Turkish Airlines upgraded rescue dogs returning from helping search for survivors in Turkey and Syria (Turkish Airlines)A spokesperson for the Turkish Airlines told MailOnline: “As we have been experiencing an extraordinary period within our evacuation operations due to earthquakes centred in our eastern regions and affected all our country and nation, we fly our heroes, the rescue teams along with their dogs, which are let to sit in cabin (in business class as well) for this period.
“It was the least we could to do show our appreciation for these heroic dogs’ sincere and heroic efforts.”
A day after the earthquake, Mexico announced it was sending a team of 16 of its famous search and rescue dogs to look for people buried under the rubble.
Because the country is prone to earthquakes, highly specialised teams are trained to help when disasters occur.
Dogs are often used in rescue attempts when machinery could potentially cause rubble to collapse and put survivors at risk.
They sniff out humans and bark or scratch the ground to alert their handlers as to where the scent is strongest.
The airline said it did not want the dogs to travel in the cargo hold after their heroic efforts (Turkish Airlines)As well as giving the dogs an upgrade, Turkish Airlines also provided free flights for evacuees.
“We evacuated a total of 296,819 citizens by 1,646 flights,” Yahya Ustun, Turkish Airlines' senior vice president for media relations, wrote on Twitter on February 21.
On Thursday a dog was rescued in Turkey after being trapped under the rubble for 23 days.
In heart-wrenching footage, one lucky pooch called Alex, which looks like a collie-type breed, is hauled from a pit of crumbled concrete by a team of rescue workers.
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They pass the surprisingly calm-looking pooch back to his family, who are clad in high-vis jackets and helmets, as the ecstatic owners fuss over him and shriek with joy at having their best friend back.