By South China Morning Post | Created at 2025-04-01 14:51:09 | Updated at 2025-04-02 20:26:45
1 day ago
Thailand’s search and rescue dogs are taking on the role of emotional support animals for grieving relatives of victims of a Bangkok skyscraper flattened in a deadly earthquake.
The 30-storey high-rise under construction collapsed in seconds on Friday when a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck neighbouring Myanmar, with effects felt as far as the Thai capital.
As of Tuesday, 13 people – thought to be on-site construction workers – were pronounced dead, with nine injured and more than 70 still believed to be buried in the rubble.
Their tearful families waited near the scene of the collapse, watching on with hopes fading as rescuers and diggers scraped through the mountain of rubble.
But their faces lit up when they saw golden retrievers Lek and Safari – decked out in official search uniforms – brought to the relatives’ waiting area.
