Baby born in rubble of Syria earthquake is adopted by aunt and uncle

21 February 2023 , 18:52

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The baby was found by rescuers still connected to her mother by her umbilical cord (Image: TWITTER)

She was born under the rubble of her family’s home in Syria after the devastating earthquake that killed her parents and four siblings.

Found by rescuers still connected to her mother by her umbilical cord, medics nicknamed the miracle tot Aya – Arabic for "a sign from God".

And as footage of her rescue went viral, thousands offered to take her in.

Now, she has been discharged from hospital after being adopted by her paternal aunt and her husband – and named Afraa, after her late mother.

"She is one of my children now," said uncle by marriage Khalil al-Sawadi. "I will not differentiate between her and my children."

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Khalil also revealed that days after Afraa was born his wife, Hala, gave birth to a daughter called Attaa.

Afraa will now be raised alongside Attaa and the couple’s five other kids.

Miracle in incubator at hospital in Afrin (AP)

"She will be dearer than my children because she will keep the memory alive of her father, mother and siblings," added Khalil.

Afraa survived for 10 hours under the rubble after the 7.8-magnitude earthquake on February 6 that devastated Turkey and Syria, killing 45,000.

Her family lived in a five-storey apartment block in Jinderis, a town close to the Turkish border in Aleppo province, and her mother is thought to have gone into labour soon after the disaster.

Khalil previously told how he spent hours helping rescuers dig through the debris looking for survivors.

He had been called over to identify his sister-in-law’s body when they heard Afraa crying and uncovered her.

Khalil used a razor blade to cut the umbilical cord so that the tot could be rushed off for treatment.

Khalil al-Sawadi holds Afraa, who was born under the rubble caused by an earthquake that hit Syria and Turkey (Ghaith Alsayed/AP/REX/Shutterstock)

The family made frequent visits to the hospital caring for the orphan in the nearby town of Afrin amid fears someone would try to kidnap her after the flood of interest when her plight made global headlines.

Judicial officials were forced to get involved after people visited the hospital claiming they were related to Afraa. Khalil and his wife were finally able to take her home after a DNA test confirmed they were her true family.

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Medics at the hospital had grown fond of Afraa and Dr Hani Maarouf said “it was sad and some nurses wept” when she left – but he added that she was in very good health.

Khalil’s family is having to stay with cousins at the moment after their home was also destroyed in the quake.

But they insist that the best place for little Afraa is with them – however ­difficult their situation.

Amy-Clare Martin