A baby girl, who was miraculously born under the rubble in Syria and remained connected through the umbilical cord to her mother, who was dead, aroused the sympathy of many, expressing their desire to adopt her.
Paulina Queralt, a Lebanese singer living in France, announced her desire to adopt the little girl on social media.
Paulina took to Twitter and wrote, “I wish someone knew how to reach the child. I am ready to adopt her and take care of her until the last minute of my life.”
She also added, “If anyone has information, please contact me.”
Moroccan broadcaster, Hind Boumashmar, also offered to adopt the orphan infant, and wrote on her Instagram account, “I am ready to sponsor and adopt this child, as she has no one but God, and if legal procedures allow in Syria.”
Requests to adopt her came after video clips of the infant in the town of Jenderes, spread on social media, after a group of men pulled her out of the rubble of a destroyed building.
The video of Aya being rescued has widely been circulated on social media platforms, showing moments after the baby was pulled from the rubble by a rescuer, her umbilical cord still attached. He rushes her to aid while another man throws him a blanket to wrap her.
The newborn was taken to a clinic in the nearby town of Afrin for treatment while her relatives spent several hours recovering the bodies of her mother, father Abdullah, four brothers and aunt.
The little girl, who arrived at the clinic in a bad condition, is still undergoing treatment but is now stable, pediatrician Hani Maarouf told AFP.
“She had several bruises and lacerations over all her body,” he said. “She also arrived with hypothermia because of the harsh cold. We had to warm her up and administer calcium.”
Her survival is the latest in a series of stories of children being pulled from the rubble.
The death toll from the earthquake, which devastated Syria and neighboring Turkey, had risen to more than 7,000 by Wednesday — and is expected to rise further.
