The desperate search for survivors continues after two devastating earthquakes and powerful aftershocks struck Turkey and Syria on Monday, February 6.

A 7.8 magnitude earthquake, the largest to hit Turkey this century, occurred in the early morning hours and was followed by a 7.5 magnitude tremor and hundreds of intense aftershocks.

Buildings and homes collapsed trapping and killing people and pets. Over 15,000 people and countless pets have died, and the number is only expected to rise.

 

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However, rescuers are not giving up hope and continue to brave the freezing temperatures to find survivors. After nearly three days of searching, one team was thrilled when they found a dog alive in one of the heaps of rubble.

Redditor u/Araragi_Monogatari shared a heartwarming video of rescuers carefully freeing the fluffy white dog. The one-minute footage showed one person offering the poor pup some water while others continued to clear away the debris. They were finally able to free the dog and took him in their arms.

The video ends with the dog being carried off in the arms of one of his rescuers. Viewers hope the dog is ok and that many more people and pets will be found alive.

One person who visited Turkey prior to the earthquakes commented, “God bless these people. I’ve only briefly been to Turkey, but I vividly remember how much they cared for animals. They’re part of society there. Almost every shop owner would have a bowl of water outside their shop for the stray cats/dogs; some would even provide a little bed. As a result the stray animals were all quite tame – it was lovely as I was missing my pets back home! I have no doubt that they’ll be trying to rescue as many animals as they can.”

Another said, “That’s great that animals aren’t overlooked during rescue. Bless those who help, true heroes.”