Videos posted online on Monday appear to show White Helmets pulling people from rubble in the aftermath of a Russian air strike in Ariha, Syria, just as a documentary about them won an Oscar.
A video uploaded to the internet by the civil defence group known as the White Helmets, purports to show rescue personnel pulling victims, including a child, bleeding and covered in dust from under rubble.
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There is no indication as to whether the child is alive.
Other videos show damaged buildings and streets with bulldozers removing rubble.
A member of the civil defence group said that a warplane targeted the city of Ariha in rural Idlib at 6 a.m. local time with three air strikes resulting in the destruction of residential buildings.
Just minutes before, at 7:44 p.m. PT (5:44 a.m. in Syria), the official twitter account of the Academy tweeted the announcement that the Oscar for best documentary short was awarded to The White Helmets.
The White Helmets tweeted: “On the time of the announcement of the Oscars award, the rescue teams continue to search for civilians who have been missing under rubble in Ariha in rural Idlib and managed to rescue a child who was still alive.”
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On accepting the award, director Orlando von Einsiedel encouraged the audience to stand and give appreciation to the civil defence group for their work in Syria’s civil war.
He also read a White Helmets statement including that the aim of the civil defence group, “to save one life is to save all of humanity,” a verse from the Koran.
The Netflix documentary gives a glimpse into the daily lives of the volunteers in war-torn Syria.
READ MORE: Video shows Syria’s White Helmets pull two children from rubble
The White Helmets operate a rescue service in rebel-held parts of Syria, which have been subjected to fierce bombardment by the government and Russia’s air force during the country’s civil war that has leveled whole city districts.
Syria’s government under President Bashar al-Assad has accused the group of being a front for al-Qaeda and of faking footage of the aftermath of air strikes for propaganda purposes, charges the White Helmets deny.
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