The newborn with an umbilical cord intact was found under the rubble of her home in Syria following an earthquake on February 6, 2023. AFP

Rescued newborn in Syria rubble is only survivor of her family

A newborn was rescued from under the rubble of her home following a deadly earthquake in Syria, becoming the only survivor of her immediate family. Relatives who pulled the baby girl from the collapsed family house discovered that her umbilical cord was still attached to her deceased mother. The incident happened in the rebel-held town of Jindires, which was among those badly affected by a 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Syria and Turkey last February 6. The baby’s relatives were able to recover the bodies of her father, Abdullah, mother, Afraa, four siblings and an aunt. The mother is believed to have gone into labor when the earthquake happened. Khalil al-Suwadi, a relative, said that the bodies were laid out on the floor. A joint funeral was held. A video of the rescue went viral on Twitter. The video shows a man recovering the dust-covered baby from the wreckage of a building that collapsed. Another man is seen rushing to bring a blanket to warm the newborn in sub-zero temperatures. The newborn was transferred to the nearby town of Afrin for treatment, where she is currently recovering. Despite suffering from back injuries, the baby is confirmed to be in stable condition. The earthquake's epicenter was close to Gaziantep, on the Turkey-Syria border, and an additional 7.5-magnitude earthquake followed it. Death tolls have already resulted in over 16,000 fatalities. As of this writing, at least 12,873 people died in Turkey, while at least 3,162 died in Syria. KD/Expat Media
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