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Internet shattered at story of Mariam, 7, who shielded brother in Syrian earthquake rubble for 36 hours

'Sir if you rescue me and my brother, I'll do whatever you want. But get us out of here,' Mariam told the rescuer

HAREM, SYRIA: A heartbreaking footage of a young Syrian girl shielding her brother while trapped under the rubble has been making rounds around the internet, leaving netizens emotional. Mariam, 7, and her younger brother, Ilaaf, were stranded in the debris of their fully destructed home following the series of horrific earthquakes. They were stuck in concrete ruins for over 36 hours before rescuers discovered and subsequently rescued them, on Tuesday, February 7 in Besnaya-Bseineh near Harem, Syria.

In the footage, her younger brother can be seen stuck beneath the concrete wreckage as rescuers rush to save the two when the sister moves her arm over her younger brother's head to protect him at that point. In the clip, she told the rescuer, "Sir if you rescue me and my brother, I'll do whatever you want. But get us out of here." The two children were later photographed dozing off on a bed after being rescued from their horrendous situation.

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UN representative tweets 'share positivity'

The photograph was first shared by UN representative Mohamad Safa encouraging everyone to 'share positivity' while emphasizing the compassionate gesture put forward by the young girl in the distressful chain of earthquakes that claimed thousands of lives in Turkey and Syria, on Tuesday, February 7.“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…” read his tweet.

Mustafa Zuhir Al-Sayed, the children's father, said that he, his wife, and their three kids were all asleep when the earthquake struck. He said, "Rubble began falling over our head and we stayed two days under the rubble." All of them were extricated from the destroyed house.

'She’s a little hero'

Many internet users commended the young girl for her kind gesture under the trying circumstances after seeing the moving footage which has been viewed 5 million times. A user commented, “Miracles happen. What a great big sister. Lovingly protective under such stressful circumstances. Hope for all those still trapped. Respect for all the rescuers working tirelessly.” Another user wrote, "What a courageous child! Can you imagine 17 hours trapped under the rubble for an adult, much less a child? And to protect her brother all that time!" A third user commented, “OW! She’s a little hero!” Another said: "Beautiful. God will give her a lot of life to continue taking care of her brother, she is an angel sent by God." Another tweet read, "This situation is beyond heartbreaking and I'm so glad these two are okay....what a lucky little brother to have his big brave sister" Another tweet read: "The good news is that they have been rescued and they are free to live. I pray their family members are also alive so they can live happily together." 

A 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck Turkey and western Syria early on Monday, February 6. The Syrian communities, which had already been decimated by years of conflict, were further devastated by the earthquake, which was the biggest to hit Turkey this century. A rough estimate puts the number of deaths at around 11,000 and the number of injured at 34,000. Numerous other casualties are probably yet undiscovered in both nations, according to the World Health Organization. They predicted that there may be 20,000 casualties, reported Daily Mail.