Syria Earthquake “Miracle Baby” Afraa Goes Home With Her Aunt and Uncle

After the 6 February 2023 earthquake destroyed a building in Jindires (Jinderis), northwest Syria, rescuers found a newborn still joined by the umbilical cord to her mother, who had died after giving birth under the rubble. The infant’s father and four siblings were also killed. Hospital staff first called her Aya — “a sign from God.” She spent critical days in an incubator. Video of the rescue spread worldwide; thousands of people offered to adopt her.

Authorities required DNA tests before handing her to anyone claiming kinship. The tests confirmed that Hala, sister of the baby’s father, was a blood relative. The girl was then placed with Hala and her husband, Khalil al-Sawadi. They renamed her Afraa after her late mother.

The couple were already raising several children and had a newborn daughter of their own, born days after the quake. Khalil told the Associated Press: “She is one of my children now. I will not differentiate between her and my children.” Later interviews found Afraa healthy, smiling and growing up with her cousins in Jindires. Relatives said they will tell her, when she is old enough, how she was pulled from the ruins and why she carries her mother’s name.

Source: Associated Press and BBC News reporting from Jindires, February–August 2023, on the rescue, DNA confirmation and placement of Afraa with Khalil and Hala al-Sawadi