ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A trapped Syrian child along with her brother who were wedged between concrete in the ruins of their home were rescued on Wednesday more than 36 hours after a devastating earthquake shocked the country and neighboring Turkey.
“Get me out of here,” Alaa, the sister, told a rescuer. “If you get me out, I will do anything for you, I will be your servant,” she pleads as the rescuer replies “No, no.”
Young Alaa and her brother lost both parents when the deadly 7.8-magnitude earthquake rocked large swathes of southern Turkey and northern Syria. In the video, she can be seen stroking her brother’s hair and covering his face, attempting to provide protection from debris and dust.
The children are from the central Syrian city of Hama, but their family in recent years relocated to Jindires district in Afrin, a region in northwest Syria formerly under the control of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) but now controlled by Turkish-backed Syrian rebels.
As time continues to pass, hopes of finding earthquake victims alive under the rubble of countless buildings continues to fade, with more bodies being pulled out in Jindires than surviving people.
In the rebel-held northwest of Syria, the White Helmets rescue group reported on Wednesday that at least 1,400 people have died, and along with regime-held areas, the death toll of the country from the 7.8-magnitude quake stands at 2,662.
More than 5,000 others have also been wounded in Syria.
Sarbast Sulaiman, a spokesperson for the White Helmets, told Rudaw’s Dilbixwin Dara on Wednesday that at least 320 people have died in Jindires, warning that their rescue teams are stretched out and lacking urgent supplies.
“The situation of Jindires is very concerning and bad,” Sulaiman said. “The events that you are witnessing, I have been dealing with them for three days.”
“Our work now is entirely focused on saving lives and our team has been working nonstop for more than 36 hours,” he stated.
The devastating tremor has killed at least 9,057 people in neighboring Turkey, where it had its epicenter in the southern city of Kahramanmaras, while nearly 53,000 others have been injured.
On Wednesday, the White Helmets appealed for international support in their “race against time” as they attempt to save scores of people buried under collapsed buildings with limited funds and material support.
Britain on Wednesday sent around $1 million to support the rescue group, while Egypt provided a technical team to help with rescue efforts.
The natural disaster has galvanized countries from around the world to come to the aid of the mourning countries, providing rescue teams, monetary support, as well as relief and medical supplies.
