Swiss canines deployed in Germany to find bodies of flood victims

A Swiss dog team specialised in searching for cadavers will be deployed in Germany following the devastating floods. 

On Saturday, a dog team left for the German town of Dernau in the Ahr Valley, where floods caused enormous devastation two weeks ago and claimed many lives. REDOG, the Swiss Association for Search and Rescue Dogs, said the team will search for missing persons in cooperation with German dog teams.

“It is important to be there and to support the relatives,” said Linda Hornisberger, head of the REDOG search team. The goal is to find the bodies of the victims so that their relatives can say goodbye to their loved ones, according to a REDOG statement. 

Four dog handlers and their dogs, as well as two logistics specialists make up the Swiss contingent. They have been on standby since the beginning of the bad weather in Germany. The deployment of the Swiss team will last several days, according to spokesperson Dagmar Wurzbacher. Cadaver search dogs are used after natural disasters such as earthquakes, landslides or building collapses. 

REDOG is also the rescue organisation of the Red Cross and finances interventions from its own funds raised through the support of donors.