Rescuers worked tirelessly to locate people buried beneath the rubble of thousands of collapsed buildings. Some amazing survival stories have emerged, such as a newborn infant rescued alive from debris in Syria and still attached to her mother, who died in Monday's earthquake, via her umbilical cord.
A heartbreaking image of a seven-year-old Syrian girl saving her younger brother's head under rubble has suddenly surfaced on the internet. Many social media users have been moved by the image.
The picture of the small boy was posted by Mohamad Safa, a UN delegate. Fortunately, the brother-sister duo survived the nearly 17-hour ordeal.
"The 7-year-old girl who kept her hand on her younger brother's head to protect him for 17 hours under the rubble has survived," the caption reads. Nobody seems to be sharing. If she died, everyone would share! "Spread joy".
The image moved many social media users, and many praised the young girl for her compassion. "Miracles do happen," one user said. What an amazing big sister you are. He is lovingly protective under such tough circumstances. For those who are still confined, there is still hope. Respect to all the rescuers who work so hard."
Dozens of countries have pledged to help, including the United States, China, and the Gulf States, and search and relief teams have begun to arrive by air.
Turkey is situated in one of the world's most active seismic zones. The previous 7.8-magnitude earthquake in the country happened in 1939, killing 33,000 people in the eastern Erzincan province.
A 7.4-magnitude earthquake devastated the Turkish region of Duzce in 1999, killing about 17,000 people. Experts have long warned that a big earthquake could wreak havoc on Istanbul, a 16-million-person metropolis with shaky housing.
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