Millions of children trapped in catastrophic earthquake in Syria and Turkey

A child born under the rubble and saved, alive, hours later. Two girls lie in the rubble of a collapsed building. A child hanging from a roof recites the Muslim death prayer. A teenager who logs under the ruins of his house, wondering if he will live or die.

Shocking images of some gods have emerged millions of children trapped by the catastrophic earthquake in Turkey and Syria.

Some were rescued alive, shocked, disheveled, clothes, skin and hair covered in dust. Others have not been so lucky, e.g their corpses were wrapped in blankets and dumped by the side of the road or embraced by grieving parents. Some children are the only survivors in their families or have not been identified; rescue teams are desperately trying to reunite them with their relatives.

“It is unlikely that a single child escaped the earthquake-ravaged areas unscathed, physically or psychologically,” said UNICEF spokesman Joe English.

English said there were still no clear figures on how many children were among the victims and among the population rescued from the rubble.

In many places, residents take out children with their bare hands.

Khalil al Shami, 34, was digging through the rubble of his brother’s building in the Syrian city of Jinderes on Monday. when he saw his sister-in-law’s legs and a girl still attached to her by the umbilical cord. She had given birth while she was trapped under the rubble.

Shami said in an interview that he cut the umbilical cord covered in dust and the baby let out a cry. She said she kept digging and digging, thinking her mother was still alive too. Her sister-in-law did not survive, but her niece is safe in the hospital.

“The mother was due to give birth the next day, but she appears to have given birth in shock,” said Shami.

In another Syrian city, video shows two little girls trapped under rubble, one on top of the other, as a man tries to pull them out. He asks them: “Do you know how to play?”, And one of the girls shouts: “No, no, take me out.”

A teenager in a dusty red shirt films himself under the twisted metal and bricks that remain of his home. He said I didn’t know how to describe what I was feeling, without knowing whether he would live or die. Then a scream is heard in the video.

“More than two, three families are trapped. Their screams and those of our neighbors are heard. God help us,” says the boy in the video.

Many families, who have fled their homes in freezing temperatures, wearing only their nightwear, are taking refuge in cars or public spaces such as mosques and schools.

For the children of Syria, the earthquake comes after 12 years of suffering accumulated by war, by poverty and the multiple movements of families fleeing the conflict.

“It’s trauma upon trauma. It’s heartbreak upon heartbreak,” said English of UNICEF. “There is a long road to recovery.”

The UN’s immediate objective is to ensure that affected children and families have access to clean water and sanitation – essential for preventing disease in the early days of a crisis – and nutrition kits. UNICEF is also preparing to provide psychological assistance.

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