Rescue dog Proteo of the National Defense Ministry (Sedena), upon arrival at the airport in Adana, Turkey, on Feb 8, 2023. Proteo, a German shepherd of the Mexican Army who was participating in rescue tasks after the earthquake in Turkey, died during a collapse while searching for victims in the rubble, the Mexican government reported on Feb 13, 2023. — Mexican Foreign Ministry/AFP
Mexico on Monday (Feb 13) paid tribute to a military rescue dog that died while searching for survivors buried under the rubble of the earthquake in Turkiye.
Defense Minister Luis Cresencio Sandoval announced the death of the German shepherd called Proteo at President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's daily news conference.
"You accomplished your mission... thank you for your heroic work," the military said on Twitter.
Proteo was one of more than a dozen rescue dogs dispatched by Mexico along with 130 military personnel following the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that killed more than 35,000 people in Turkiye and Syria.
"You were always a strong, hardworking dog who never gave up. I will always remember you," one rescuer who served alongside Proteo said in a video. – AFP
