Earthquake in Syria and Turkey: Thousands of offers to adopt the baby girl who was born in the rubble
Thousands of people have offered to adopt a baby girl who was born under the rubble of a collapsed building in northwest Syria, after Monday’s earthquake.
When she was rescued, the infant, who was named Aya, was still attached to her mother’s umbilical cord.
Aya’s mother, father, and four siblings died in the earthquake that hit the town of Jenderes in Syria.
The child is currently in the hospital, and the doctor, Hani Maarouf, who is supervising her condition, says, “She arrived on Monday in a bad condition, and she was suffering from bruises and wounds, and she was cold and breathing with difficulty. But her condition is now stable.”
In the town of Aya Jenderes, people are still searching through the rubble for their loved ones.
Journalist Muhammad al-Adnan, who is in the town, told the BBC: “The situation is catastrophic. There are many people under the rubble. There are people who we have not been able to extricate yet.”
Al-Adnan estimates that 90 percent of the town has been destroyed, saying that rescue efforts are being led by the people of the area so far.
Rescuers from the White Helmets, who have extensive experience pulling people from the rubble during a decade of the Syrian civil war, are taking part in rescue operations in Jenderes.
“Maybe the rescuers will also become victims, because of the shattered condition of the buildings,” says Mohamed El Kamel.
He added, “We have recovered three bodies, and we believe that there is a family still alive. We will continue to work.”
In Syria, it was officially announced that more than 3,000 people were killed by the earthquake, and that number does not include those killed in opposition-held areas.
