A Northern Irish dog rescue charity has helped locate a woman who had been trapped under rubble in Turkey for nine days. 

The K9 Search & Rescue team from Bangor in County Down assisted in the rescue of a 42-year-old woman from the rubble in the Turkish city of Adana. The death toll from the Feb 6, Turkey and Syria earthquakes is now close to 44,000. 

In a post on Facebook, the K9 Search & Rescue team said its search dog Delta indicated to rescue workers that a woman was alive beneath the rubble. 

The charity's search dog Max also indicated signs of life, while the search dog, Ghost, from the SAR team, also indicated during the mission. 

A total of six people were detected beneath the rubble during the rescue, including a two-year-old boy and a three-year-old girl who are believed to be brother and sister. The charity said it is still waiting for news about the other five people. 

The K9 Search & Rescue charity dispatched a two-man team to Turkey on Fri, Feb 10, to assist in the international rescue operation following two devastating earthquakes that occurred at the beginning of the month. 

The charity announced that it has now returned to Northern Ireland. 

"During their six-day deployment, Search and Rescue Dogs Delta and Max, along with their handlers worked nearly around the clock, in a bid to search and save lives," the charity said on Facebook. 

"Working hand in hand with Evolsar colleagues, Serve On and SAR Team, they searched in extremely hazardous environments, often in darkness. 

"This morning, we received news that at least one life has been saved as a result of the combined efforts of our teams, with work continuing on-site in a bid to establish if anyone else is able to be saved."