Heart-wrenching moment camera goes dead as a hero Syrian medical volunteer is blown up and killed as he desperately digs crying woman out of rubble

  • Clip shows the Syrian rescue worker Mohammad Walid Al Ghourani
  • Was part of the rescue volunteer group in Syria known as 'White Helmets' 
  • Was filmed running fearlessly into scene of deadly airstrike in Deir al-Asafir
  • Shortly after his act of bravery, he was killed in one of the deadliest incidents involving civilians since a partial ceasefire came into effect 

By Thomas Burrows for MailOnline

Published: 13:52 EST, 31 March 2016 | Updated: 14:04 EST, 1 April 2016

Dashing between the rubble to help the wounded in a town scarred by war, this poignant footage shows the final moments of a heroic volunteer in Syria before he was killed.

In the clip, Syrian rescue worker Mohammad Walid Al Ghourani, in the group known as the 'White Helmets', sprints through the rebel-held town of Deir al-Asafir tending to the injured.

His heroic actions were recorded following a deadly airstrike in the town which lies east of the Syrian capital of Damascus, home to around 2,700 families.

Wearing his white helmet and carrying a stretcher, he was filmed running fearlessly into the scene of the attack that was thick with smoke. 

As children fled screaming from the crumbling buildings, Al Ghourani ran headfirst into the danger, intent on saving as many lives as possible.

Shortly after his act of bravery was filmed, he was killed in one of the deadliest incidents involving civilians since a partial ceasefire came into effect in the war-torn region more than a month ago.

Syrian rescue worker Mohammad Walid Al Ghourani in his white helmet and clutching a stretcher rushes to help the injured following the airstrike

Syrian rescue worker Mohammad Walid Al Ghourani in his white helmet and clutching a stretcher rushes to help the injured following the airstrike

Amid the sound of collapsing buildings, the fearless volunteer sprints round the corner to help the wounded

Amid the sound of collapsing buildings, the fearless volunteer sprints round the corner to help the wounded

Airstrikes hit a hospital and an area near a school in Deir al-Asafir yesterday, killing at least 23 people, according to opposition activists. 

As well as volunteer rescue worker Al Ghourani, four children were also killed, Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. 

It was not immediately clear who was behind the airstrikes. 

The government claims al-Qaeda's branch in Syria, the Nusra Front, operates in the eastern suburbs of Damascus. 

The ceasefire did not apply to the battle against the militant group or their rivals, the murder cult ISIS.

But the rebels said the government of President Bashar Assad have been targeting civilians despite the truce. Government troops have been trying to encircle the town for weeks. 

The Syrian National Coalition, an opposition group, denounced the 'massacre' in the town and said it threatened to derail the ceasefire and peace talks set to resume in Geneva in a fortnight. 

The talks are meant to bring about a political shake-up in Syria that will see Assad relinquish power.

Al Ghourani rushes past an injured civilian on the floor as he sprints through the rubble to help the wounded

Al Ghourani rushes past an injured civilian on the floor as he sprints through the rubble to help the wounded

A woman lies in the rubble following the attack in Deir al-Asafir, east of Damascus

A woman lies in the rubble following the attack in Deir al-Asafir, east of Damascus

Al Ghourani was part of the unarmed group of volunteers known as the 'White Helmets' [founded in 2013] that rush in to search for life in the rubble - fully aware bombs may fall on the same site.

There are more than 2,850 White Helmets - including 80 women - and so far they have saved more than 40,000 lives as they work through all hours of the day and night. 

It has been described as the 'most dangerous job in the world' and around 100 have been killed in the line of duty. 

The group - who wear white uniform and a helmet - operate mainly in rebel-held pockets of the war-ravaged country but do not discriminate between victims on one side or the other. 

Tellingly, their motto is: 'To save one life, is to save all of humanity.'  

More than 250,000 people have been killed in the war and more than one million injured, while four million people have fled the country as refugees.

In a boost in the fight against ISIS, the ancient city of Palmyra was recaptured last week from the hands of the extremists, who had operated a ten-month reign of terror there.   

 

 

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