Turkey-Syria earthquake: Thousands offer to adopt baby pulled from the rubble 

Ankara: Thousands of people have offered to adopt the baby girl who was born under the rubble of a collapsed building in north-west Syria, following Monday's earthquake.

When she was rescued, baby Aya - meaning miracle in Arabic - was still connected to her mother by her umbilical cord.

Her mother, father and all four of her siblings died after the quake hit the town of Jindayris.

Aya is now in the hospital.

The video of little Aya's rescue went viral on social media. The footage shows a man sprinting from the rubble of a collapsed four-storey building clutching a tiny baby covered in dust. 

"She arrived on Monday in such a bad state, she had bumps, bruises, she was cold and barely breathing," said Hani Marouf, the paediatrician looking after her.

She is now in stable condition.

Khalil al-Suwadi, a distant relative, who was there when she was pulled to safety, brought the newborn to Dr Marouf in the Syrian city of Afrin.

Thousands of people on social media have now asked for details to adopt her.

The hospital manager, Khalid Attiah, says he has received dozens of calls from people all over the world wanting to adopt baby Aya.

Dr Attiah, who has a daughter just four months older than her, said, "I won't allow anyone to adopt her now. Until her distant family return, I'm treating her like one of my own".

For now, his wife is breastfeeding her alongside their own daughter.

In Aya's home town of Jindayris, people have been searching through collapsed buildings for loved ones.

In Syria, more than 3,000 deaths have been reported following the deadly quake. This figure doesn't include those who have died in opposition-held areas of the country.

SOURCE: BBC