Sniffer dogs rescue 61 trapped,find 55 bodies

The furry personnel were trained by Border Security Force and Punjab Police since they were six months old.

“We reached the site of the collapse at 10.30 pm and by 1.30 am,the sniffer dogs had begun assisting. For the Mumbra operation,we brought four-year-old German shepherd Berkeley who is a veteran,another two-year-old German shepherd Potter and two-year-old debutant labrador Urni. Within half-an-hour,they found a trapped man,” Rajesh said.

“Rescue operations are difficult,the machines are yet to clear the rubble. The pace is not slow,but we have to be careful because most people are buried deep below,” he said.

The dogs,Rajesh said,were at work the whole day. “Once a machine clears a significant amount of rubble,we send in the dogs. Once the dogs locate someone,they bark or communicate with handlers. Then the machines take over. But we ensure they do not dig too close to the bodies,” Rajesh said.

He said sniffer dogs had proved invaluable in a similar pancake collapse in Bellary,Karnataka,three years ago. “That was a five storey-building in a crowded place. Big machines could not go in. With the help of dogs,we found 27 bodies in nine days.”

Rajesh expected the Mumbra operation to last at least another day. “Because of the type of collapse,it will take us minimum 24 hours more. The longer the rescue,the less the chances of survival of those trapped,” he said.