A Syrian baby who was born under the rubble of her house after last week’s earthquake has been moved to a “safe place” by health authorities.
Afrin’s health authority took the precautionary measure to protect the girl Aya from possible kidnapping and adoption fraud, the source said.
On Monday, there was a brutal incident at the hospital in the opposition-controlled region where she was being treated.
The nurse, accompanied by two armed men, allegedly beat the manager.
The head of the health department, Dr. Ahmad Haj Hassan, denied claims on social media that it was a failed attempt to abduct Aiya.
“The allegations of kidnapping were a misunderstanding. It was a purely internal problem of the hospital and had nothing to do with the child,” he said.
Thousands of people offered to adopt the child last week after her story was widely reported in local and international media.
However, according to a source, the Health Department is determined to prioritize her well-being and proceed cautiously with the adoption process.
Aya’s mother went into labor shortly after their family home in the town of Jindairis was destroyed by the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck southern Turkey on February 6.
She died after giving birth to Aya, who was still attached by the umbilical cord when she was found by rescuers.
Dramatic footage shared on social media showed a man carrying a child covered in dust after he was pulled from the rubble.
Aya’s father, four siblings and an aunt also died in the crash.
Khalil al-Suwadi, a distant relative who was by her side when she was pulled to safety, brought the child to a hospital in Afrin.
Her pediatrician, Dr. Hani Maruf, said Aya arrived in “bad shape.” “She had bumps, bruises, she was cold and barely breathing,” he added.
She responded to treatment and her condition stabilized the next day.
The head of the hospital, Khalid Attia, said his wife was breastfeeding Aya along with their own four-month-old daughter, and they would care for her until she was adopted.
Jindaris, about 8 km (5 miles) from the Turkish border, was one of the worst-hit towns in Syria. About 200 buildings were completely destroyed there.
The White Helmets, whose volunteer first responders led search and rescue efforts in opposition-held areas, say they have pulled 517 bodies from the rubble there.
The deaths make up almost a quarter of the total reported by the White Helmets and opposition authorities in the region, where 90 percent of the 4.6 million people were in need of humanitarian aid before the disaster.
