Dutch search dog team looking for survivors in Marrakech city center

The Dutch search dog team will visit collapsed houses in the city center of Marrakech on Saturday to search for people under the rubble. The Dutch search dogs have now indicated in several places that there may be victims, Esther van Neerbos of Signi Zoekhonden said. It is not yet clear how many people are affected.

The team arrived Wednesday evening in Morocco, where a major earthquake had occurred last Friday. Earlier, the search team reported it had located at least five bodies under the rubble. The recovery work is being carried out in cooperation with the Moroccan fire department. On Friday, the team wanted to travel to the affected mountain village of Imidal, but failed due to fog. For now, the team will probably stay in Marrakech, Van Neerbos said.

In addition to the trained search dogs, the Dutch team will take a thermal camera to search under the rubble. The spokesperson explained that the camera can help them find both surviving victims and remains, NU.nl reported.

Signi traveled to the country with six people and four dogs without an official request for help from the Moroccan state. With the help of local contacts, the team was nevertheless welcomed, Van Neerbos said. The team is scheduled to fly back on Wednesday. The search dog team was also in Turkey earlier this year, where it found people still alive under the rubble 12 days after the earthquake.