Pictures of a small girl trapped under earthquake debris while sheltering her baby brother have gone viral on social media.
On Monday (6 February), a terrible 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck southern Turkey and northern Syria, killing over 11,000 people.
But it is the horrific photographs of a little Syrian girl shielding her brother that have shown how terrible the present situation is.
While stuck beneath debris from the earthquake, the child was seen laying her palm over her brother’s head to shield him.
Fortunately, the siblings got it out safely, as United Nations (UN) envoy Mohammad Safa tweeted: the 7-year-old girl who placed her hand on her young brother’s head to safeguard him while they were beneath the debris for 17 hours has made it safely. He doesn’t see anybody sharing. Everyone would share if she died! He request people to share postivity.
The 7 year old girl who kept her hand on her little brother's head to protect him while they were under the rubble for 17 hours has made it safely. I see no one sharing. If she were dead, everyone would share! Share positivity… pic.twitter.com/J2sU5A5uvO
— Mohamad Safa (@mhdksafa) February 7, 2023
Over 30,000 individuals have been wounded, and many more are trapped in the wreckage, their chances of survival dwindling by the day.
The tragedy destroyed Gaziantep and Diyarbakir in Turkey, as well as Aleppo in Syria, although it was felt as far away as Cairo, Egypt.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey’s president, stated 13 million of the country’s 85 million people had been impacted in some manner and imposed a state of emergency in ten districts to coordinate the response.
According to Adelheid Marschang, a Senior Emergency Officer with the World Health Organization, the total number of individuals affected by the earthquake might be as high as 23 million.
This is a catastrophe on top of numerous problems in the impacted area, Marschang said at a board meeting of the organization in Geneva.
Doctors Without Borders’ chief of mission, Sebastien Gay, said that hospitals in northern Syria were full of doctors and nurses who worked around the clock to help the large number of people who were hurt.
Syria’s affected area is split between territory controlled by the government and the last area held by the opposition, which is surrounded by government troops with help from Russia.
Millions of Syrian refugees have sought safety in Turkey.
While under the rubble of her collapsed home this beautiful 7yr old Syrian girl has her hand over her little brothers head to protect him.
— Vlogging Northwestern Syria (@timtams83) February 7, 2023
Brave soul
They both made it out ok. pic.twitter.com/GrffWBGd1C
During a phone chat after the tragic earthquake, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak promised the UK’s unflinching support to President Erdogan.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spoke to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan this afternoon, after the tragic earthquakes that devastated Türkiye [Turkey] and Syria, a Downing Street spokesman said.
He conveyed his heartfelt sympathies for the awful loss of life and reaffirmed the UK’s unflinching assistance.
The Prime Minister stated that, in response to a request from the Turkish government, a 77-strong British search and rescue team landed in Gaziantep today with specialized equipment and dogs, and would immediately begin working to aid in the rescue operation.
