Sweden’s heroic search dog rescuing 18 people during Türkiye’s Feb. 6 earthquakes dies

By Atila Altuntas and Asiye Latife Yilmaz

STOCKHOLM/ISTANBUL (AA) – Killian, a heroic search and rescue dog from Sweden who helped save 18 lives following the devastating earthquakes in southern Türkiye on Feb. 6, 2023, has died.

Firefighter Kiril Hristov announced the loss of his service dog on Saturday in a post on Facebook, saying Killian was not only his colleague but also his best friend.

Türkiye’s Ambassador to Stockholm Yonet Can Tezel expressed deep sorrow over Killian's death, and recalled hosting a reception for the Swedish Emergency Agency team, which included Killian, who took part in rescue operations in the affected Pazarcik and Elbistan districts of Kahramanmaras.

The ambassador noted that Killian’s photo still hangs in his office, and he had visited the team last year and observed their training eight months ago.

Hristov, who worked alongside Killian during the rescue mission, said the dog was declared a hero in Sweden for his vital role in locating survivors under the debris.