Heartbreaking image: 7-year-old Syrian girl protecting her brother under rubble after earthquake

A 7.8-magnitude earthquake in southern Turkey and Syria killed around 6,000 people. As rescuers search through collapsed buildings for lives, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared a three-month emergency in 10 regions.

The massive quake, one of the largest in the quake-prone area in the past century, is sparking fears of a new humanitarian disaster in a region strained by war, displacement, and economic distress.

A picture of a little Syrian girl cradling her sibling while they are both buried by debris in Syria has gone viral on various social media platforms. A representative of the United Nations posted the image on Twitter.

An official with the United Nations named Mohamad Safa uploaded a picture of the children to Twitter alongside the claim that they had been buried for more than 17 hours.

"The 7-year-old girl who kept her hand on her little brother's head to protect him while they were under the rubble for 17 hours has made it safely. I see no one sharing. If she were dead, everyone would share! Share positivity," Safa tweeted.

According to the most recent data from those countries, the death toll from the earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria has risen to almost 5,000.

Hundreds of rescue workers are still searching through the rubble and debris, attempting to dig out survivors, despite the frigid temperatures. According to authorities, the death toll from Monday's earthquake and its aftershocks is expected to rise. Shallow temperatures and heavy snowfall have hit both Turkey and Syria.