Human Interest

Turkey-Syria Earthquake: Baby Girl Born Under Rubble Has a Name and Adoption Offers After Family Dies

A little girl named Aya, whose mother did not survive, was rescued in Jenderis, Syria, more than 10 hours after the 7.8 magnitude quake rocked the region

By

Abigail Adams

Published on February 10, 2023 11:12 AM

A child born in the aftermath of the earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria, killing more than 20,000 people, will soon have a new home.

The baby, who's been given the name Aya, was rescued in Jenderis, Syria, more than 10 hours after the 7.8 magnitude quake rocked the region, the Associated Press reported.

The child was orphaned by the quake, which killed her mother Afraa Abu Hadiya, her father and her four siblings, according to the BBC.

Aya was likely born shortly after Monday's earthquake, and was still attached by umbilical cord to her mother when she was rescued, per the reports.

Aya's name means "a sign from God" in Arabic, according to the AP and The Guardian.

A newborn baby who was found still tied by her umbilical cord to her mother and pulled alive from the rubble of a home in northern Syria following a deadly earthquake, receives medical care at a clinic in Afrin, on February 7, 2023. - The infant is the sole survivor of her immediate family, the rest of whom were all killed when a 7.8-magnitude quake that struck Syria and neighbouring Turkey flattened the family home in the rebel-held town of Jindayris, cousin Khalil al-Suwadi said. — RAMI AL SAYED/AFP via Getty

Aya will reportedly go with her great-uncle, Salah al-Badran, upon being released from the hospital. But al-Badran and 11 others from his household are currently living in a tent after losing their own home in the deadly quake.

"After the earthquake, there's no one able to live in his house or building," he told the AP via voice messages.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free weekly newsletter to get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday.

Aya was found in the rubble of a five-story apartment building where her parents lived prior to the quake leveled the building, the AP reported. After being pulled from the wreckage, she was rushed to Cihan Hospital in Afrin, where she later received her special name.

"She arrived on Monday in such a bad state," said pediatrician Hani Marouf, per the BBC. "She had bumps, bruises, she was cold and barely breathing."

Newborn baby pulled alive from the rubble of a home in northern Syria — Newborn baby receives medical care at a clinic in Afrin after being rescued. RAMI AL SAYED/AFP via Getty

Aya is now in stable condition, per the BBC report. Maarouf told the AP that the baby did not suffer spinal damage and is generally improving.

Since her story was told, thousands have offered to adopt Aya, including a TV anchor in Kuwait, according to the BBC.

"I'm ready to take care of and adopt this child ... if legal procedures allow me to," the woman said, per the report.

Dozens of other people from around the world have called the hospital where Aya is getting care to inquire about adopting the baby girl, the BBC added in its report. But hospital manager Khalid Attiah did not want her adopted right away.

Instead, he and his wife are caring for the child until she can be released to family, per the report. Attiah's wife is even reportedly breastfeeding Aya alongside the couple's own 4-month-old daughter.

More than 20,000 people have died following Monday's earthquake, including more than 3,000 people in Syria.

Ten provinces in Turkey are now under a three-month state of emergency, the New York Times reported Thursday.

To help earthquake relief efforts in Turkey and Syria, consider donating to these organizations: The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Doctors Without Borders, GlobalGiving, Save the Children, and The Syrian American Medical Society.