Rescue dog saves dozens of people from Venezuela earthquake rubble

A rescue dog saved dozens of people trapped in a building following a devastating earthquake in Venezuela.

The heroic border collie, named Tsunami, was able to find survivors using his nose to sniff them out. Dozens of people were trapped under debris after the country was hit by two earthquakes last week.

More than 1,700 people have died after 250 buildings collapsed following the earthquakes which registered 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude respectively. They struck within just 39 seconds of each other.

Following the back-to-back earthquakes, acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez declared a state of national emergency.

Hundreds have been injured after buildings collapsed in the earthquakes. Rescue teams expected to discover several more bodies in the days that followed.

“It’s the strongest quake I’ve ever felt in my life,” journalist and BBC Mundo contributor Nicole Kolster says.

"I saw the windows moving and the only thing I could think to do was to get between the front door and a stone wall, which in my judgment is quite strong, to try to protect myself.

"I thought the building was going to fall on top of me", she recalled.

Tsunami rescued 13 people who were trapped beneath rubble (drpetvenezuela/Instagram)

Tsunami and his handler Jorge Beens were working as part of the K-SAR ECID rescue canine unit.

The dog’s strong sense of smell was able to locate the exact locations beneath the debris where survivors had been buried. Rescue crews were then able to dig through the wreckage and lift the survivors to safety.

One of the survivors was a 60-year-old man who had been trapped beneath the rubble for around six days, the Telegraph reports.

Search and rescue dogs can detect a person’s scent even when they are buried up to 10 metres beneath rubble. They are trained using toys scented with human odour, and when they successfully locate a person, their handler rewards them with the toy.

This wasn’t the first time Tsunami had worked at a natural disaster. The dog also helped at earthquakes in Turkey and Syria and flood and landslide rescue missions across Venezuela.

Tsunami also had a very rough start in life. As a puppy, the dog was found abandoned in Caracas. The dog had also been abused and was severely malnourished before being rescued by Anita Vida.

People searching for victims after the earthquakes (Edilzon Gamez/Getty Images)

The recent earthquakes, however, marked Tsunami’s last mission. It was reported that he had experienced severe physical exhaustion after rescuing the survivors, but was later found to be in good overall health.

Donald Trump, who captured the Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and his wife in a military operation back in January, offered the United States' help following the disaster.

He wrote on Truth Social: "The two major earthquakes that just hit the great people of Venezuela are both massive in scale and have left a devastating number of deaths. The U.S.A. stands ready, willing, and able to help!

"I have instructed all agencies of our government to get ready to move quickly. We will be there for our new and great friends. Early reports are not good!!! President DJT."