Local Istanbul municipality to erect statue of late Mexican rescue dog Proteo

By Busra Coban

ISTANBUL (AA) - A local municipality in Istanbul is set to honor a late Mexican rescue dog that died on duty searching for survivors in Adiyaman province, following the powerful Feb. 6 earthquakes which killed thousands of people in Türkiye.

"Proteo came from Mexico, miles away, and came to save our citizens under the rubble ... in these lands he had never known, and he succeeded," said Sukru Genc, the mayor of Sariyer Municipality in Istanbul, according to a statement by the municipality.

“Proteo is now one of the names we owe our loyalty to. We want to include his statue in our park," Genc added, speaking at a memorial event held for Proteo and Japanese aid volunteer Miyazaki Atsushi, who died in the 2011 earthquake in eastern Türkiye.

The event took place at a park named after the late rescue worker Miyazaki and boasting his statue in Istanbul's Sariyer District on the European side.

Proteo, a 9-year-old specially trained K9 for the Mexican search and rescue team, died after being severely injured in the line of duty in Adiyaman. Assisting Mexican military teams, the German shepherd rescued two people from under the rubble. The Mexican government paid him tribute and called him heroic.

Praising the international solidarity following the massive quakes in Türkiye, Genc said the solidarity has been “just like the 2011 earthquake in Van province.”

“Japanese aid volunteer Miyazaki Atsushi died in the wreckage of Bayram Hotel, which was destroyed in that earthquake,” Genc said. “He won the great love of the people of the region with his diligent work and kindness.”

Miyazaki came to the rescue of earthquake victims in Van when it was struck by a magnitude 7.2 earthquake on Oct. 23, 2011, and extended his helping hand to people both as a doctor and an aid worker as part of the Association for Aid and Relief, Japan (AAR Japan). But a magnitude 5.6 quake jolted the city again on Nov. 9 and this second quake caused his hotel to collapse to rubble, and Miyazaki was badly injured. He was taken out of the pile of debris following intense rescue operations but succumbed to his wounds at a hospital.

Event participants included India's Consul General in Istanbul Sudhi Choudhary, Mexico's Consul General in the city Isabel Arvide, and Japan's Consul General Kasahara Kenichi, as well as Sariyer Municipality Civil Defense Team.

Meanwhile, an animal rehabilitation center built in the Basiskele district of the northwestern Turkish province of Kocaeli was named after the late Mexican rescue dog.

According to the latest official figures, at least 42,300 people have died in the magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes on Feb. 6 that were centered in Türkiye's southern Kahramanmaras province and struck 10 other provinces – Hatay, Gaziantep, Malatya, Adiyaman, Adana, Diyarbakir, Kilis, Osmaniye, Sanliurfa, and Elazig.