Turkey earthquake: Journalist stops live reporting to help carry little girl to safety

A journalist from Turkey has won the hearts of people after a video of him running to help a little girl during a live broadcast went viral on the internet.

Television reporter Yuksel Akalan was reporting live on the aftermath of the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck along the Turkish-Syrian border when another major earthquake hit Turkey. He could be seen leaving the live broadcast to help carry a little girl to safety.

"As we were heading to the rubble to film search and rescue efforts, there were two consecutive aftershocks with a loud noise and the building you are seeing on my left was brought down to earth," he says in the video, per the Telegraph.

The video then gets interrupted due to the earthquake, and Akalan runs towards a crying young girl. He lifts her up and carries her out into the open. He calms her down for a while and then resumes his broadcast.

His kindness has taken the internet by storm, with people praising him for how he acted in such a distressing situation.

More than 5,000 people have been killed across Turkey and Syria in Monday's 7.8-magnitude earthquake. It was followed by several aftershocks, making search and rescue operations difficult.

Turkey lies in a sensitive seismic zone and is prone to earthquakes. But this earthquake was significantly destructive.

According to an analysis by The Conversation, Turkey lies at the intersection of three tectonic plates, and the movement of these tectonic plates is what causes tremors and earthquakes.

It is among the world's deadliest earthquakes reported in the last 25 years. The death toll is only expected to increase as rescue workers try to help people amid severe cold conditions.

Several countries have extended humanitarian assistance to disaster-hit Turkey and Syria. Food, aid, and rescue workers are being rushed to the countries to fast-track the search and rescue operations.