Turkey-Syria Earthquake: Viral photos that melted the hearts of netizens

Search-and-rescue efforts are underway as the death toll began soaring after a powerful earthquake struck Turkey and Syria. The death toll has crossed the 20,000 mark and hopes slowly started fading of finding survivors stuck under rubble in freezing weather. Horrifying and heath-melting visuals from the quake-struck area surfaced online and impacted netizens. Here are some pictures that made the loudest noise on social media.

A Turkey citizen kisses an Indian Army personnel during rescue and relief operations in earthquake-hit Turkey. Credit: Twitter/@adgpi

A little Syrian girl protecting her younger brother under debris in Syria. Credit: Twitter/@mhdksafa

Rescuers get emotional after saving a young girl. Credit: Twitter/@abierkhatib

A newborn, who needed to drink milk every hour, survived under the rubble for 128 hours without eating or drinking. Credit: Twitter/@mhdksafa

A Syrian man cries over the body of his child in the Jindayris, Syria. Credit: AFP Photo

A father holds his daughters hand under the rubble in Turkey. Credit: Twitter/@LicypriyaK

Locals clear debris lives of people trapped under debris after the horrific Turkey earthquake. Credit: Twitter/@AMJalsevac

People wait as they see rescuers search for their missing relatives under the debris of a building in the aftermath of the deadly earthquake in Hatay province, Turkey. Credit: Reuters Photo

A Syrian man and his grandson walk in the debris in the Antakia historical city in Hatay after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the country's south-east. Credit: AFP Photo

An excavator clears debris amidst collapsed buildings in Hatay, nine days after a 7,8-magnitude earthquake struck parts of Turkey and Syria. Credit: AFP Photo