She will now be raised alongside her cousins.
A baby girl who lost her mother, father and siblings in the recent earthquake in Syria has been adopted by her aunt and uncle.
Baby Afraa was born under the rubble of the earthquake, which also destroyed her family’s home.
She was found by rescuers 10 hours after the earthquake hit, still connected to her mother via the umbilical cord.
Following the tragedy, she was taken to hospital, where she had bumps and bruises and breathing difficulties. She was discharged earlier this month.
A DNA test was performed on the baby, and authorities were able to locate her relatives.
ABC reports that earlier this week, her aunt and uncle adopted her and have decided to name her Afraa, in honour of her late mother.
Following her rescue, doctors had called her Aya, the Arabic word for miracle.
A baby girl born under the rubble of the earthquakes ad aftershocks in Syria is in hospital after being pulled out by rescuers ⤵️
🔴 LIVE updates: https://t.co/Cy3gOKq7C1 pic.twitter.com/Cvg2UVKJ3R
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) February 8, 2023
Her uncle, Khalil al-Sawadi, told the Associated Press that he makes no distinction between Afraa and his biological children. He also has four daughters and two sons.
He said: “She is one of my children now. I will not differentiate between her and my children.”
Until her family was found, Afraa was being cared for by a paediatrician in the hospital. After her story was publicised, the hospital was inundated with requests from people looking to adopt her, but the staff prioritised finding her relatives first.
More than 45,000 people were killed in the huge earthquakes that struck Syria and Turkey on February 6, with tens of thousands more left homeless.
The total number of people killed in Turkey hit 39,672 over the weekend, whilst more than 5,800 have died in Syria according to the Syrian government, Aljazeera reported.
Among those to die in the disaster was footballer and former Chelsea, Everton and Newcastle player Christian Atsu. The 31-year-old played in Turkey for Hatayspor.
Related links:
- ‘A big respect from me to the referee’ – Referee reads the room perfectly after Kudus-Atsu tribute
- Little girl spends 17 hours protecting her brother’s head after being trapped in the rubble during earthquake
