Turkey-Syria earthquake: Miracle baby born under rubble, sadly mother dies
A devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Turkey and Syria on Monday, spreading destruction and debris on each side of the two nations. At least 2,921 people were killed and 15,800 were injured in the massive earthquake. Amidst this, a newborn girl was rescued from underneath a collapsed building in Syria. The baby's umbilical cord was still attached to the mother who was found dead.
The baby was pulled out alive from the rubble
The pregnant mother was supposedly trapped under a collapsed building in Aleppo, Syria when she gave birth to the newborn under the rubble. Unfortunately, she passed away before rescue workers arrived. According to footage shared all over the internet, the dust-choked baby was pulled out alive from the rubble by the rescue workers. She was immediately taken to a hospital.
Here's the video of the rescue operation
The baby was rushed to a children's hospital in Afrin
This miraculous rescue emerged as a ray of light during the dark times. The viral video was shared by a Syrian volunteer organization where a rescuer was seen running with the newborn in his arms amid the landscape of destruction. The baby's cord was cut by a female neighbor after which she was rushed to a children's hospital in the nearby town of Afrin.
The baby is in stable condition: Doctor
The baby is in an incubator, in the hospital. "The baby's body temperature had fallen and she had bruises, including a large one on her back, but she is in stable condition," said Dr. Hani Maarouf, the physician treating her. She was born about three hours before being found. "Had the girl been left for an hour more, she would have died," he said.
Newborn was the only member of her family to survive
According to reports, the baby was the only member of her family to survive the building collapse in the small town of Jinderis, next to the Turkish border, Ramadan Sleiman. Located in the rebel-held enclave of northwest Syria, Jinderis was badly hit by the earthquake with several buildings destroyed completely. However, emergency workers continued their work amid freezing temperatures, power outages, and continuous rainfall.
Another dramatic rescue operation went viral on Monday evening
Among many operations rescuing children, was a video that surfaced on Monday evening showing emergency workers pulling out a toddler alive from the wreckage of a collapsed building. White Helmets (a civil defense organization) shared a video of a rescuer digging through white concrete and twisted metal to save the little girl. The earthquake left numerous families mourning the loss of their loved ones.
