Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Two were martyred in an initial toll of the Israeli drone strike that targeted the al-Asira neighborhood in the city of Baalbek, eastern Lebanon
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: An Israeli drone strike targeted the al-Asira neighborhood east of Baalbek, eastern Lebanon
Sheikh Naim Qassem to the pager attack survivors: You are the greatest resistance. Know that 'Israel' will fall because it embodies aggression, crime, and occupation; victory is truly yours
Sheikh Qassem to the pager attack survivors: The value of what you are doing despite your wounds is immense, and here you are, treading the path of the Master of Nation's Martyrs and the leaders
Sheikh Qassem to the pager attack survivors: You are moving forward with insight deeper than sight itself. The enemy sought to eliminate your role in the battle, yet you remain steadfast and continue the fight
Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem to the pager attack survivors one year later: You are healing from your wounds and rising above them. You have successfully passed the test
Palestinian media: Reports of stabbing operation in occupied al-Quds.
Israeli media: Sirens blare in Arava in South, near Ramon Airport.
Egyptian PM Mostafa Madbouli: Egypt is targeted in plans to redraw regional map
AEOI Chief Mohammad Eslami: Our presence in IAEA General Council and fact-checking helped in preventing unilateral rhetoric that aims to portray Iran as an unregulated country

Baby Aya sees light under the rubble; a heartbreaking story from Syria

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 10 Feb 2023 13:30
  • 1 Shares
3 Min Read

Painful footage shows the dust-covered newborn being rescued with her umbilical cord still attached to her dead mother.

  • x
  • A baby girl who was born under the rubble caused by an earthquake that hit Syria and Turkey has been named Aya. (AFP)
    A baby girl who was born under the rubble caused by an earthquake that hit Syria and Turkey has been named Aya. (AFP)

Meet baby girl Aya who was born under the rubble of the Turkey-Syria earthquake and was rescued with her umbilical cord still attached to her dead mother in the Syrian town of Jenderis.

Aya's story

In Jenderes, in the countryside of Afrin, northeast Syria, a baby girl takes her first breath surrounded by the destruction after her mother went into labor during the earthquake, gave birth to her, and bid her farewell. 

The girl was named Aya, meaning "a sign from God" in Arabic. Her father and brothers were also killed in the earthquake.

Thousands of people have offered to adopt the baby girl who was born under the rubble of a collapsed building in north-west Syria, following Monday's earthquake

When she was rescued, baby Aya - meaning miracle in Arabic - was still connected to her mother by her umbilical cord pic.twitter.com/71FL8xCBXJ

— Worldfocus Blog (@WorldfocusBlog) February 10, 2023

Because all of her family members have died, her father's uncle promised he will take her home after she is released from the hospital. Salah Al-Badran was one of those severely affected by the earthquake, as his home was leveled in the earthquake, forcing him and his family to take shelter in a tent.

Related News

Syria's al-Sharaa: Security deal with 'Israel' is a necessity

Israeli forces forcibly displacing residents of southern Syria: HRW

The footage of Aya's rescue quickly went viral on social media. The video shows a man rushing from the rubble of a four-story building, taking the dust-covered baby into his arms.

In the sub-zero weather, a second man hurries toward the first, holding a blanket for the newborn, as a third begs for a car to take her to the hospital.

The baby Aya, who was rescued from under the rubble of her destroyed house after the earthquake, and her umbilical cord is still tied to her deceased mother in Afrin, Syria.#syriaearthquake #TurkeyEarthquake #Turkey #Syria pic.twitter.com/8ceV3SBmg4

— AZOOZ_NB93 (@AZOOZ_NB93) February 8, 2023

The baby was sent to a hospital in the adjacent town of Afrin for treatment. She had scrapes and bruises, was cold, and was hardly breathing.

The bigger picture

Aya is only one of the scores of children who have lost their parents in the 7.8-magnitude earthquake. UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund, stated that it has been monitoring unfortunate children like Aya, whose parents are missing or deceased, and is working with hospitals to find extended family members who may be able to care for them.

The situation is of particular concern in Syria, a country that already bears the agony of hundreds of thousands of unknown numbers of orphans due to the destructive war on the country. 

Moreover, Damascus has been hit by more than a decade of US draconian sanctions, and there have been calls for them to be lifted to facilitate the arrival of aid. Earlier today, the US complied with international calls to lift Syria-related sanctions amid the aftermath of the earthquake, albeit temporarily.

As the catastrophe unfolds in front of the whole world's eyes in #Syria, one can't help but notice how the #West deliberately chose not to help the catastrophe-stricken country. pic.twitter.com/f5cOYM0JAB

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) February 7, 2023

A massive earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 Richter ripped through Syria on early Monday, leading to more than 3,700 deaths and thousands of injuries.

  • Syria
  • Turkey earthquake
  • Turkey
  • eathquale

Most Read

Uprising against Volker Turk at the Human Rights Council over Gaza.

Uprising against Volker Turk at the Human Rights Council over Gaza

  • Politics
  • 12 Sep 2025
A screengrab from the ad played on Fox News. (X Screengrab)

Fox airs ad warning Trump not to let Netanyahu 'play' him on Gaza

  • US & Canada
  • 11 Sep 2025
Lapid: Egypt’s Arab Force plan a 'severe blow' to normalization

Lapid: Egypt’s Arab Force plan a 'severe blow' to normalization

  • Palestine
  • 14 Sep 2025
UKLFI’s latest faux pas, like "Israel’s" recent failed attempt at regime change in Iran, is unambiguously indicative of a flailing entity on the verge of extinction. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab el-Hajj)

Zionist lawfare operation facing collapse?

  • Opinion
  • 13 Sep 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
A Hezbollah supporter who lost his sight in a pager attack carried out by "Israel" on Sept. 17, 2024, covers his eyes with a red headband inscribed with the name "Hussein" during Ashoura, July 6, 2025 (AP)
Politics

'We Have Recovered': Lebanon marks 1st anniversary of Pager Attack

The Arab neighborhood of El Za'im, on the outskirts of east Occupied Al-Quds in the West Bank, near where Israeli government says housing units will be built as part of the E1 settlement project, Thursday, August 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
Palestine

'Israel’s' deliberate policies drive West Bank economy toward collapse

Ben & Jerry's ice cream shop, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025, in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Politics

Ben & Jerry’s co-founder resigns over parent company curbing activism

Trump’s approval rating falls to new low in second term: Poll
US & Canada

Trump’s approval rating falls to new low in second term: Poll

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS