Buried under the concrete after a devastating earthquake, baby Aya was still connected by her umbilical cord to her mother before she was rescued.
Now, the orphaned Syrian baby born under the rubble of her collapsed home after last week’s earthquake has been moved to a “safe location” by a health authority.
The Afrin Health Directorate took the precautionary measure to protect the girl, Aya, from possible kidnapping and adoption fraud, reported the BBC.
On Monday, there was a violent incident at the hospital in the opposition-held region where she was being treated.
Gunmen stormed a Syrian hospital that is caring for a baby girl who was born under the rubble of her family’s earthquake-shattered home, and the attackers beat the facility’s director, a hospital official said Tuesday.
The official denied reports on social media that the Monday night attack was an attempt to kidnap the infant named Aya — Arabic for “a sign from God.” She has been at the hospital since hours after the February 6. earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria. Her parents and four siblings died in the disaster.
A male nurse, accompanied by two armed men, allegedly beat the manager.
The head of the health directorate, Dr Ahmad Hajj Hassan, denied claims on social media that it was a foiled attempt to kidnap Aya.
“The kidnap allegations were a misunderstanding. This was a wholly internal hospital-related issue and had no connection whatsoever with the baby,” he said.
Thousands of people offered to adopt the baby last week, after her story was widely reported by local and international media.
