Syria
Born under rubble: doctor takes care of “miracle baby”
Aja, the so-called “miracle baby”, was rescued under a destroyed house after the devastating earthquake on the Turkish-Syrian border. It is assumed that the mother died shortly after his birth. photo
© Anas Alkharboutli/dpa
The little girl Aja was born under rubble – her whole family probably died in the devastating earthquake. Now the baby is in the care of a doctor and his wife. How to proceed is unclear.
The baby, who was born under rubble after the devastating earthquakes in Syria, is in the care of his doctor for the time being. “My wife is breastfeeding little Aja,” said the attending physician and hospital manager Attija Chalid of the German Press Agency on Friday.
“My priority is that she gets well first.” So far it is unclear who will take the child later. There have been inquiries from distant relatives, but nothing is concrete yet. The decision rests with the authorities. According to the doctor, who has a four-month-old daughter and a three-year-old son, the girl has lost most of her close relatives.
Mother probably died shortly after giving birth
It is believed that Aja’s mother died under the rubble shortly after giving birth. The father and four siblings also died in the disaster. The family lived in a town near the Turkish border that was badly hit by Monday’s earthquakes. The family had previously fled Dair al-Saur province in the east. A rescuer cut the umbilical cord with a knife and eventually pulled the child out of the rubble. In the media, Aja is also referred to as a “miracle baby”.
A neighbor is said to have taken the hypothermic and dust-covered little girl to the hospital in Afrin. The staff at the clinic then gave her her name.