Seven-Year-Old Syrian Girl Shields Brother Under Rubble For 36 Hours

Seven-Year-Old Syrian Girl Shields Brother Under Rubble For 36 Hours
Two children who were trapped beneath concrete in their own home in northern Syria have been rescued after a span of more than 36 hours after Monday's devastating earthquake, CNN reported.

“Get me out of here, I’ll do anything for you,” the older child tells rescuers seen in video trying to make their way to the children's home in Besnaya-Bseineh, a small village in the city of Haram.

“I’ll be your servant,” she adds, before a rescuer replies, “No, no.”

The girl, Mariam, spoke as she gently stroke her brother's hair under the remains of their bed. She’s able to barely move her arm in order to cover her sibling’s face, protecting him from the dust and debris.

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The father later revealed his son's name to be Ilaaf, – an Islamic name meaning, protection.

Narrating the incident, Mustafa Zuhir Al-Sayed said his family, comprising his wife and three children, were sleeping when the earth shook.

“We felt the ground shaking … and rubble began falling over our head, and we stayed two days under the rubble,” he recalled. “We went through, a feeling, a feeling I hope no one has to feel.”

Trapped under the debris, Al-Sayed said they recited the Quran and loudly prayed in order for someone to hear them.
At least 20,000 people have lost their lives so far in the earthquake that hit south-eastern Turkey, near the Syrian border. Tens of thousands are reported to be injured from the calamity. The US Geological Survey said the 7.8 magnitude tremor struck at a depth of 17.9km (11 miles) near the city of Gaziantep. The tremors were also felt in Lebanon and Cyprus.

“People heard us, and we were rescued – me, my wife and the children. Thank God, we are all alive and we thank those who rescued us,” the report quoted Al-Sayed as saying.

A later video showed the locals cheering as the two little children were rescued and wrapped in blankets. They were then rushed to a hospital where they received emergency treatment.



At least 20,000 people have lost their lives so far in the earthquake that hit south-eastern Turkey, near the Syrian border. Tens of thousands are reported to be injured from the calamity.

The US Geological Survey said the 7.8 magnitude tremor struck at a depth of 17.9km (11 miles) near the city of Gaziantep. The tremors were also felt in Lebanon and Cyprus.

Many buildings collapsed, and rescue teams are search for survivors and any sign of life under the debris.

In 1999, over 17,000 people were killed after a powerful tremor rocked the north-west of the country.