War in Syria: White Helmets Volunteer Cries After Rescuing Baby

When airstrikes rain down on Syria’s rebel-held parts, a group of 3,000 volunteers are usually the first to respond.

The rescue volunteer from the White Helmets cried after rescuing the baby girl who was buried under the rubble for two hours after the airstrike. (Photo Courtesy: AP Screengrab)

Harrowing pictures of a one-month-old baby girl said to have been pulled alive from the rubble of a collapsed building in Idlib, northern Syria, was uploaded online on Friday.

A White Helmet or a civil defence member carries an injured girl at a site hit by airstrikes in the rebel-controlled area of Maaret al-Numan town in Idlib province, Syria, on June 2 2016. (Photo Courtesy: Reuters)

A member of Syrian Civil Defence team, popularly called the White Helmets, can be seen weeping as he holds the baby in his arms, while a paramedic treats the infant's head injuries.

When airstrikes rain down on rebel-held parts of Syria, a group of 3,000 civilian volunteers are usually the first to respond.

The footage appears to have been shot inside an ambulance travelling to a hospital.

The Syrian Civil Defence member said it had taken two hours to retrieve the baby from the rubble of a four-storey building.

A civil defence member in Maasran gathers unexploded cluster bomblets that were reportedly fired by the Russian air force. (Photo Courtesy: Reuters)

The Syrian Civil Defense, known commonly as the White Helmets, is a volunteer corps of Syrians who act as first responders in the Syrian civil war, which is now in its sixth year. Established in 2013, the group’s charter is simple: to carry out search-and-rescue operations to save the maximum number of lives.

The paramedic said the building had been hit by an airstrike carried out by Syrian government forces.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights at least 11 civilians, including seven children, died during attacks on Idlib and nearby provinces on Thursday.

Inspired by a Quranic verse that says “to save a life is to save all of humanity,” the group has rescued more than 60,000 people – a feat that earned them the Right to Livelihood Award, commonly known as the “Alternative Nobel Prize”, in recognition for their “outstanding bravery, compassion and humanitarian engagement in rescuing civilians.” It has also put them in contention for the Nobel Peace Prize.

(With AP inputs)

Video Editor: Sandeep Suman