In the early hours of Monday, February 6, a severe earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 struck central Turkey and northern Syria, levelling hundreds of structures. Heart-breaking images from ground zero have been making their way to social media. One such photo shows a newborn infant who was rescued from the wreckage in Syria. The newborn was found crying beneath the wreckage. While the baby was miraculously rescued from the rubble, her mother could not survive. The baby is now the lone surviving member of her family to survive the building collapse in Syria’s Jinderis.
The infant, who still has her umbilical cord attached, is seen undergoing medical attention in a picture shared on Twitter by Now This News.
(warning: distressing)A newborn baby was rescued from the rubble of a building in Syria, following the devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake. Rescuers found the baby with her umbilical cord still attached to her mother, who appeared to have given birth while buried & died after.
— NowThis (@nowthisnews) February 7, 2023
The event horrified social media users, who expressed their thoughts about the ‘miracle baby’ in the comments section. One user commented, “My God. Prayers up for this child.”
My God. Prayers up for this child. 🙏🏾— Rudith Lillian Huxtable (@girl_nicki0510) February 7, 2023
“So much horror and sadness!” another user comments.
So much horror and sadness!— annie (@annierun) February 7, 2023
Another user wrote, “Miracle baby.”
Miracle baby🙏🏽 https://t.co/fVXOgVFi6D— Paggie (@sunny28282) February 8, 2023
Paediatrician Hani Maarouf told AFP that the baby girl, who is now stable, arrived at the clinic in critical condition and is undergoing treatment. Family members spent hours recovering the bodies of the infant’s mother Afraa, father Abdullah, four siblings, and an aunt.
The newborn was dug out by rescuers, and the umbilical cord was cut by a female neighbour before the infant was rushed to a clinic in the neighbouring town of Afrin for medical attention.
Whether the girl’s mother, Afraa, gave birth while she was buried under the debris or if she was still alive when the girl’s relatives discovered them was not known exactly.
According to Reuters, the number of fatalities from a deadly earthquake that struck southern Turkey and Syria increased to more than 7,800 people on Tuesday as rescuers raced against time in freezing winter weather to find survivors among the wreckage of destroyed structures.
India has also sent the first batch of earthquake relief resources to Turkey. Highly skilled National Disaster Response Force search and rescue teams, dog squads, have also been sent by India along with key medical supplies, advanced drilling equipment, and other vital aid tools.
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