Three young brothers have been rescued following a deadly earthquake on the Italian island of Ischia.
Firefighters rescued a baby boy ten hours after the quake struck but could hear his siblings crying for help under the rubble.
His eight-year-old brother was pulled to safety hours later, followed by the eldest brother aged 11 who was rescued 16 hours after the quake struck, according to The BBC.
At least two people have died and 39 were left injured following the 4.0 magnitude earthquake on the popular holiday island.
The eldest of the boys, Ciro Marmolo, has been credited with saving the lives of his younger brothers by pushing both under his bed when the quake started.
This is what heroes look like. #Ischia pic.twitter.com/BgpPjCipnA
— Edo Soros (@EdoSoros) August 22, 2017
Rescuers were able to pull seven-month-old Pasquale out first and passed water through a tube to Ciro, and his eight-year-old brother Mattias, who were still underneath the rubble for hours.
The boys’ parents managed to escape the house and raised the alarm. Ciro alerted the rescuers to the boys’ location by gently tapping the rubble with a broom handle.
"I promised them that after this was all over we would all go get a pizza together," one rescuer told Italian television.
Incredible footage from the scene shows baby Pasquale still in his cotton sleep suit being gently lifted from the ruins by firefighters.
The firemen had to dig with their bare hands to reach the children and worked for hours without stopping to save the children’s lives.
When your children will ask you about superheroes, please, show them these pics.
— Angie (@angiedam2) August 22, 2017
This is what real heroes look like. #Ischia #Earthquake pic.twitter.com/QdfoR7ir1M
The boys’ father also helped them pull the rubble away to get his children out.
“0400, Ischia, a miracle – baby pulled alive from the rubble,” the Italian fire service announced in a tweet as little Pasquale was rescued.
The older boys sustained cuts, bruises, and minor fractures while little Pasquale appeared to be unharmed.
Such courageous actions by young Ciro and the firefighters - we wish the boys a speedy recovery.
