Girl shields sibling from rubble for 36 hours in Syria after deadly earthquake destroys home

The sisters became trapped when their house collapsed on them while they were sleeping

Words by ITV News Multimedia Producer James Gray

Rescuers have saved two children wedged underneath the rubble of their home in northern Syria, following the world's deadliest earthquake for more than a decade.

The sisters had been trapped for over 36 hours after the 7.8 magnitude tremor struck on Monday.

More than 9,000 deaths have now been recorded in Syria and Turkey due to the quake, with search and rescue teams working non-stop in the hope of finding survivors.

Aid efforts have been complicated further in Syria with the country embroiled in a 12-year long civil war.

The area affected by the quake is divided between government-controlled territory and the country's last opposition-held enclave.

In a clip captured by rescuers in Besnaya-Bseineh, a small village in Haram, Syria, the older child is seen whispering: "Get me out of here, I’ll do anything for you."

"I'll be your servant," she adds, as a rescuer replies, "No, no."

As the clip plays on, she gently strokes the hair on her younger sibling's head, making sure to cover her face from dust and debris.

The children's father, Mustafa Zuhir Al-Sayed, told CNN his wife and three children were sleeping in the early hours of Monday when the quake caused their house to collapse.

"We felt the ground shaking… and rubble began falling over our head, and we stayed two days under the rubble," he said.

"We went through, a feeling, a feeling I hope no one has to feel."

While they were trapped, Mr Al-Sayed said his family recited the Quran and prayed out loud that someone would find them.

He added: "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 children have now been taken to hospital where they are receiving medical care.

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