'Miracle Baby' Born During Turkish-Syrian Earthquake Survives After Being Pulled From Rubble
A miracle born amidst tragedy.
Twitter. A series of deadly earthquakes razed multiple cities in Turkey and Syria on February 7, 2023.
The 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit north of the city of Gaziantep for about one minute. Gaziantep’s population is around 2 million people. The area houses a large number of Syrian refugees.
The initial earthquake’s effects were felt in both Turkey and Syria, with tremors traveling as far as Egypt and Lebanon.
A 6.6 magnitude aftershock also hit the area, and another 40 small earthquakes were felt later. The minute-long earthquake resulted in over 2,300 deaths.
Mere hours after the first disaster, a second 7.5 magnitude earthquake hit southeast of the town Ekinozu.
Turkey lies along the East Anatolian fault line and the North Anatolian fault line. These major fault lines border three different tectonic plates, making the region prone to earthquakes.
Amidst the devastation, there was a momentary miracle.
A newborn baby was rescued from the rubble of the Syrian earthquake.
The baby was found alive, in rebel-held Jenderes, still attached to her mother by her umbilical cord. Her mother tragically had not survived the earthquake.
The newborn is the sole survivor of her immediate family.
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Local media reported that the pregnant mother was displaced from the eastern Deir Ezzor region of Syria.
Rescuers saved the baby from the flattened four-story building in which she was born, carrying her to safety amidst the rubble, in freezing temperatures.
She was taken to a hospital in the nearby town of Afrin, while rescuers recovered the bodies of her father, Abdullah, her mother Afraa, four siblings, and an aunt.
Funerals for the baby’s family members were held on February 7, 2023, in a relative’s home.
The newborn was placed in an incubator in the Afrin hospital and given an IV drip. She had scars across her fragile body, and her left hand was bandaged.
Pediatrician Hani Maarouf, who’s caring for the miracle baby, noted that she is now in ‘stable’ condition after her rescue, though her forehead and fingertips were still blue from hypothermia.
So far, it’s been reported that over 5,000 people were killed by the quakes across both Turkey and Syria.
The number of dead is expected to surge in the coming days.
Syria has been plagued by war, insurgencies, and a resulting refugee crisis. The earthquakes are the most recent tragedies to occur.
The region in which the newborn was found relies on Turkish aid, and can’t mount its own emergency response.
While Turkish NGOs are involved in rescue efforts there, the search for survivors in Syrian towns has been delayed.
The White Helmets rescue group operates out of rebel-held areas in Syria.
The group is appealing to “all humanitarian organizations and international bodies to provide material support and assistance,'” via Twitter.
“Time is running out. Hundreds still trapped under the rubble. Every second could mean saving a life,” The group tweeted in its call for action.
If you would like to donate to charities in Turkey and Syria to help those affected by the tragic earthquakes, please do so here.
Alexandra Blogier is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team. She covers celebrity gossip, pop culture analysis, and all things to do with the entertainment industry.