Emergency dogs and crews face grim search for Dorian's dead
Combing through the debris left in Hurricane Dorian's wake, after its rampage through the Bahamas.
It's a grim task but tight on a leash, Canadian firefighter Scott Ruddy has a canine companion to assist him.
(SOUNDBITE) (English) SCOTT RUDDY, LIEUTENANT, BURNABY FIRE DEPARTMENT, OF BURNABY, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA, SAYING:
"The challenges for this operation have been immense. We have not seen anything like a debris field like this. There are multiple areas that are impassable. We have a difficult time because of course we have to find, make sure that our dogs are okay. There are multiple hazards here like nails, corrugated steel, glass you know, things like that. We also have other animals that are running around and we're trying to actually help them out too if we can. But there are certainly some challenges. "
Huge swathes of Greater Abaco Island were destroyed and on Tuesday (September 10), the Royal Bahamas Police Force said at least 50 people died - but the death toll is still likely climb.
Rescue crews have been using geotagging technology to mark the locations of bodies in the hard-hit areas to ensure a systematic search, despite the elements.
(SOUNDBITE) (English) SCOTT RUDDY, LIEUTENANT, BURNABY FIRE DEPARTMENT, OF BURNABY, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA, SAYING:
"The magnitude of the damage has been you know, certainly very challenging for the teams and the heat as well has been quite difficult too. But our guys are doing good and will continue to do well and and hopefully we'll be back here tomorrow on a further side and we'll just continue to clear buildings."
Category 5 Hurricane Dorian was one of the most powerful Caribbean storms on record, with winds of 200 miles per hour.
It barreled over the Bahamas for nearly two days, becoming the worst disaster in the nation's history.
