Quake victim, dog reunited after 65 hours

İZMİR

A victim of last week’s magnitude 6.6 earthquake in Izmir, Turkey was reunited early on Nov. 2 with her dog when it was rescued after being trapped 65 hours beneath the rubble. 

Around 10 hours after the quake on Friday, Gizem Ileri was rescued from the debris by a team of volunteers who also saved her dog Ares.

Ahmet Çelik, a volunteer from Turkish NGO the Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH), told Anadolu Agency that they realized the dog was there while they were searching for survivors in the rubble.

“When we rescued Ares from under the rubble, we handed him over to a veterinary physician. At the time, Gizem, who was rescued from the debris earlier, was also there,” Çelik said.

Noting that Ileri was waiting for the moment that her dog would be rescued, Çelik said she was extremely happy to see Ares.

“It is a very different feeling to rescue someone alive from the debris. It is a source of great happiness to save a living thing from the debris, regardless of whether it is a human, cat or dog,” he said.

He said Ares’ rescue has also become a source of hope for saving other lives under the rubble.