Expertly-trained dogs from the Army's elite canine unit of breeds such as Belgian Malinois, Labradors, and German Shepherds, which can smell human remains and even the faintest of breath buried deep under mud, are on their way to the landslide-ravaged Meppadi in Wayanad.

These dogs have been trained for several years at the prestigious Remount Veterinary Corps Centre (RVC) in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh.

Based on a special request from the Chief Minister of Kerala, the Canine Squad of the Army, specially trained for operations in disaster areas, will be flown to Wayanad to sniff out signs of life so that people trapped deep under the mud at the landslide site can be rescued, and also to recover the human remains of those who were not fortunate enough to survive nature's onslaught.

A Defence Ministry PRO said that based on the request from the Kerala Government, the Meerut RVC is sending the canine team with expert handlers to Wayanad.

"These dogs are experts in rescuing people from disaster-struck areas and the canine team will be arriving soon at Wayanad," the PRO said.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had requested the Army to send its expert canine team to Wayanad after getting reports of several hundred people missing from the area possibly having been washed away in the torrential flow of mud and rocks.

On earlier occasions too, the Army's dogs have helped the authorities dig out bodies from landslide sites at Kavalappara and Puthumala in Kerala.

Hundreds of dogs are rigorously trained with high accuracy at the Meerut RVC annually to carry out anti-terrorism operations and narcotics detection, and to provide rescue assistance in disaster-struck locations in the country.

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