By Sarah Curran
A WOMAN’s desperate cries from beneath the rubble gave rescuers hope that she could still be saved – but by the time they returned the following day, the shouting had fallen silent.
It is a moment Ryan Gray will never forget.
The founder of K9 Search and Rescue NI had travelled to earthquake-devastated Venezuela with his rescue dog Max in the hope of finding survivors trapped beneath collapsed buildings. Although Max successfully located the woman and rescuers heard her calling for help, worsening conditions forced crews to abandon the rescue before they could reach her.
Now back home in Bangor, Ryan has spoken of the heartbreak of leaving the disaster zone knowing one of the team’s final rescue attempts ended in tragedy.
The country was hit with two large earthquakes within seconds of each other, with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, on June 24. The American space agency NASA estimated that around 59,000 buildings were destroyed, many with people trapped inside.
It is reported that at least 2,295 people have died from the quakes, with many more feared dead and tens of thousands believed to be missing.
Arriving in Venezuela last Tuesday, June 30, Ryan and Max, along with K9 volunteer Shauna Harper, endured challenging conditions and extreme heat as they carried out their searches.
Taking precautions as they went, Max was at one stage placed on an IV drip and had the aid of a vet, as he searched in the humid heat for survivors.
Unfortunately, following a reel of cancelled connecting flights, the K9 team’s journey to Venezuela took them almost a week after the natural disaster.
The first 48 to 72 hours after a natural disaster are crucial to rescue efforts, though survival can be extended if people have access to food and water.
Talking about his experience there, Ryan recalled a moment when Max located a woman trapped beneath a collapsed building and the heart- breaking moment they came to realise she didn’t make it.
“The day before we went home we got a call to say there was a site where somebody was potentially alive,” he said. “So we went up with the dog and Max indicated to say there was someone alive in there.”
Ryan said three other search dogs also indicated someone was alive under the rubble.
“So it was really game on from that point,” Ryan continued. “We were working with a team called Serve On and they had heard a woman shouting.”
Ryan and Max eventually left the site, with other teams taking over, in the hope of rescuing the trapped woman but the building split further during the digging process during the night, making it too dangerous to continue and the woman ceased shouting.
“We nipped up the next day and the shouting had stopped and they hadn’t got her out,” Ryan said.
“That was really rubbish. The dogs had said she was there and eventually she was heard shouting out and then to go back the next day – that was pretty tough.”
Ryan said it was frustrating when they eventually hit the ground to begin work to see that large areas of collapse were not being covered as rescue teams were struggling to reach the country.
“It was incredibly hot and humid so there was pretty much a constant smell of death anywhere you went,” the dog handler continued.
“So you are dealing with that and seeing people’s faces, people sat on the side of the road knowing their family members are buried in rubble and most likely dead. So it is pretty rubbish seeing that.”
Ryan praised his black Labrador for taking everything in his stride, including the weather conditions, joking that he didn’t enjoy heat even in Northern Ireland.
“Max will just keep going and going and going, until I stop him or until he drops,” Ryan said, adding that he worked mainly in the mornings and evenings.
“It was pretty hot and there were vets there. So we decided to place him on a drip to help him recover better. There were at least three dogs that went on the drip and even more humans than that.”
Explaining how the rescue teams work, Ryan said a coordination team was set up who then sent out tasks to each relief team.
“Towards the end of the trip they had said they didn’t think there was anybody else that would have survived this and they said to slow it down a bit and ramp back,” he continued.
“It just took us too long to get there. Ultimately the government in Venezuela asked for help really quickly, which was brilliant, but we faced a lot of challenges to get out there and the majority of other teams faced the exact same challenges.”
Recalling saving a woman from the 2003 Turkey earthquake on day 11, Ryan said it was hard to leave Venezuela, saying it was easy to feel they should ‘keep going’, but they had to follow strict guidelines on their search.
Praising the hospitality of the people of Venezuela, Ryan said he was glad to be back home, adding that Max was currently quarantining at home from his travels.
“Max is lying here, eating bones and getting well spoilt with tummy tickles so he is loving it,” Ryan said. With harrowing scenes behind them, Ryan added that while they may have been too busy to have been affected by the sad sights of Venezuela last week, it is in the quiet of home that they can begin to creep up.
