Turkish quake survivors grateful for family dog, who warned them just before ground shook

By Fatih Hepokur and Tunahan Akgun

KAHRAMANMARAS, Türkiye (AA) – A family that survived a powerful earthquake in southern Türkiye may have their faithful dog to thank, as he warned them of the impending disaster in the middle of the night.

The family dog, named Balim (My Honey), from a Chinese breed, woke up its owner up by scratching and howling on the night of Feb. 6, enabling the Akkurt family to wake up and quickly leave their home just two minutes before the quake struck.

The Akkurts with their two children have been living in a container city set up after the disaster, when their apartment in the Kahramanmaras province – the quake’s epicenter – was destroyed.

The family, which built a doghouse for Balim next to their temporary home, now spends most of their days with their lucky canine.

- Sixth sense

Speaking to Anadolu, Melike Akkurt said of their dog with a sixth sense: "He literally felt (the quake coming), because he was moving around like he never did before, he kept running all over. So we went downstairs (and left the building) and survived thanks to the dog."

Their dog loves the children, Akkurt added.

"When there’s a person who doesn’t like him or is scared of him, he starts to growl right away. When the person likes him or is excited, he wags his tail and comes up to them," she said.

The husband Erol Akkurt added: "With two minutes to spare we took the kids (outside) with us. He prodded us to put on our clothes."

"Balim saved us. Just then we left the apartment. My daughter, my son, my wife. Two minutes later the earthquake struck," he said.

On Feb. 6, magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 quakes struck numerous Turkish provinces, taking over 50,000 lives.

Around 14 million people in Türkiye have been affected by the quakes as well as many others in northern Syria.