7-year-old girl protects her brother for 36 hours while being stuck under earthquake rubble in Syria

The earthquake in Turkey-Syria has caused a devastating humanitarian crisis across regions. Millions of lives have been affected and thousands of lives have been lost due to the destructive quake. However, in the middle of several heartbreaking stories, some incidents have restored our faith in humanity. One of these stories is of two children who were stuck in concrete for 36 hours. They held to each other as they awaited rescue, which ultimately arrived right on time.

After Monday's terrible earthquake, Mariam, the older sibling, is seen holding her younger brother's head as they both lie jammed between what looks to be the remnants of their bed and a fallen concrete wall. She can only move her arm just far enough to shield her brother's face from the massive dust clouds coming from the cluster of collapsed buildings, reports The Independent. Mariam, from the Syrian village of Besnaya-Bseineh, cries in a low voice to her rescuers, "Get me out of here, I'll do anything for you. She says, "I'll be your servant" and the rescuer replied, "No, No."

The younger child's name, Ilaaf, is an Islamic name that signifies protection, their father subsequently revealed to CNN. According to Mustafa Zuhir Al-Sayed, his wife and three kids were asleep when the 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck neighboring Turkey on Monday morning. He explained, "We felt the ground shaking … and rubble began falling over our head, and we stayed two days under the rubble. We went through a feeling, a feeling I hope no one has to feel." Al-Sayed claimed that while trapped beneath the rubble of their house, his family recited verses from the Quran and prayed aloud for rescue.

He said, "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." As Mariam and Ilaaf are carried from the wreckage covered in blankets the footage captures the crowd rejoicing. The kids were brought to the hospital, where they are getting medical attention. One of the many heartbreaking tales is the one from Turkey, where approximately 12,000 people have been confirmed dead so far.

9,000 people have died in Turkey, according to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. According to the Syrian Health Ministry, there have been over 1,200 fatalities in regions under government control. The volunteer first responders known as the White Helmets estimate that there have been at least 1,400 fatalities in the rebel-held northwest. Tens of thousands more people are hurt in both countries.

As we reported earlier, there are many stories of children stuck between fallen concrete and buildings springing up. One such incident is of a newborn child whose mother died after giving birth in a collapsed building. Although, the baby was ultimately rescued and transported to the hospital. His mother died immediately after giving birth and could not be saved in time. Rescue efforts are still going on in both countries.

This is a developing story and we'll update you as we learn more. The information about the earthquake is swiftly changing and Upworthy is committed to providing the most recent and verified updates in our articles and reportage. However, considering the frequency of developments, some of the information/data in this article may have changed since the time of publication.