A Syrian baby whose mother died after giving birth to her under the rubble of their earthquake-ravaged home now has a name: Aya, which in Arabic means "a sign from God", "miracle".
The BBC reported that thousands of people have offered to adopt the baby, however, Aya will be cared for by her uncle and his family.
Rescue workers in Jindayris, Syria, found Aya on Monday afternoon, more than 10 hours after the earthquake struck, while digging through the rubble of the building where her parents lived. When found, the baby was still attached by the umbilical cord to its mother, Afraa Abu Hadiya, who had died along with her husband and four other children. The baby was rushed to the hospital.
The mother probably gave birth to the girl and then died hours before they were found, said Dr. Hani Maarouf at Cihan hospital in Afrin city.
The video of Aya's rescue went viral on social media. Footage showed a man running from the rubble of a collapsed building clutching a small baby covered in dust. A second man ran towards the first, holding a blanket to try to warm the newborn in sub-zero temperatures, while a third shouted for a car to take him to hospital.
Doctors said her body had bruises, cracks, while her forehead and fingers had turned blue from the cold. “She also arrived with hypothermia due to the bitter cold. We had to warm him up and give him calcium,” said pediatrician Hani Maaroouf.
Aya is in the hospital and her condition is improving day by day.
The earthquake that struck northern Syria and southeastern Turkey has so far claimed more than 21,000 lives.
