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Syria's White Helmets rescue little girl after she becomes buried alive by airstrike

It was a race against time for rescuers to find her

Helen Hoddinott
Monday 20 February 2017 18:32 GMT
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Little girl is pulled alive from the rubble of a bombed home in Damascus

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A video has emerged showing the miraculous rescue of a little girl in Damascus after her home was bombed by pro-government forces.

The footage shows members of the Syrian Civil Defence, also known as the White Helmets, entering the ruins of a house in the city’s Tishreen neighbourhood.

A woman can be seen frantically directing the rescuers to a patio area where the little girl is buried.

Sorting urgently through the rubble, they manage to find the child crushed beneath debris and immediately clear her mouth of dust.

Moving quickly and carefully, the White Helmets can be seen removing lumps of concrete from around her trapped body.

One rescue worker tells the screaming girl: ‘We’re coming. Don’t be afraid.’

In a little over a minute, they manage lift her free and carry her, alive, back into the house.

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Despite miraculously surviving the ordeal, the extent of her injuries are unclear.

The bombardment, carried out by Syrian regime forces, targeted two neighbourhoods around the capital.

Ten people were wounded in the strikes, activists said.

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