Syrian baby born under rubble after the earthquake named ‘Aya’, gets new guardian

Aya, which translates to "a sign from God" in Arabic, is the name of a Syrian newborn girl whose mother passed away shortly after giving birth to her under the debris of their home after this week's earthquake impacting Syria and Turkey.

When she is discharged from the hospital, her great-uncle Salah al-Badran will take her in because her parents and all of her siblings were left dead after the massive 7.8 magnitude quake.

However, Salah al-Badran’s home in Jenderis, a town in northwest Syria, was also completely devastated. He told the Associated Press that even though he and his family of 11 were able to flee the one-story structure, they are now living in a tent.


Aya was found by rescuers in Jenderis on Monday afternoon, more than 10 hours after the earthquake struck, while they dug through the rubble of her parents' five-story apartment building. Afraa Abu Hadiya, the mother of the newborn who was buried beneath the concrete and still had the umbilical cord attached to her, was also dead, as were her husband and four other children. The infant was sent urgently to a hospital in the neighbouring city of Afrin.

According to Dr. Hani Maarouf of the Cihan hospital in Afrin, Abu Hadiya most likely gave birth to the girl before passing away a few hours before they were found. Maarouf stated, "To avoid referring to her as a newborn baby, we gave her the name Aya." He noted that contrary to early fears, there was no injury to her spine and that her condition was getting better every day.

FAQs:

Q1.What is the baby born in the Syrian earthquake named?
Aya.

Q2.What is the meaning of ‘Aya’?
“A sign from God”