NEW YORK (VINnews) — A woman who was trapped under a collapsed building in Alleppo, Syria, gave birth to an infant child while under the rubble who has miraculously survived although his mother apparently died before rescue workers could reach her.
⚠️ BREAKING: Baby born under earthquake rubble has been rescued in Aleppo, Syria.
The mother, who was trapped under the debris, has tragically died. #TurkeyEarthquake pic.twitter.com/zsR37Q6akt
— Upward News (@UpwardNewsHQ) February 7, 2023
The dramatic scene was just one of numerous dramas unfolding in the devastated cities in southern Turkey and Syria where thousands are still feared to be trapped under their homes and rescue workers are working against time to extricate them.
The death toll in Syria and Turkey has already surpassed 5,000 people but rescue workers fear that the eventual number could be closer to 20,000 as many more people are missing in the harsh, freezing winter conditions.
Syria already has a severe refugee crisis in the wake of its decade-long civil war. The area worst affected by the earthquake is partially in government hands and partially held by opposition forces.
Senior officials from the World Health Organization said that Turkey had strong capacity to respond to the devastation of Monday’s earthquake, but the needs in Syria were more extreme.
“All over Syria, the needs are highest after nearly 12 years of protracted, complex crisis, while humanitarian funding continues to decline,” Adelheid Marschang, WHO Senior Emergency Officer, said.