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'Miracle baby' born during deadly Turkish-Syrian earthquake survives but mom tragically dies under rubble

The death toll could hit 20,000, and more than 23 million people - including 1.4 million children - could be affected, according to a WHO official

ALEPPO, SYRIA: A newborn girl was miraculously rescued from a collapsed building in Syria just minutes after she was born under the rubble. Stunning footage showed the child being carried safely in the arms of a Good Samaritan in the northern town of Jinderes, which was ravaged by a deadly 7.8 magnitude earthquake.

The little girl's survival made waves online as the video circulated on social media. However, her mother is thought to have tragically died moments after giving birth. Local media reported that the pregnant mother went into labor during the quake, which has killed more than 5,000 people across Turkey and Syria so far.

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A miracle and tragedy tied together

Shocking video captured the moment the rescuer ran through the remains of the devastated building while carrying the infant in his arms across the rubble of metal, broken concrete, and barbed wire. Another man was seen running after the rescuer and throwing a green blanket in his direction hoping to keep the baby alive and warm. Onlookers watched on in astonishment as they witnessed both a miracle and a tragedy play in front of their eyes. The child is currently being looked after, albeit the rest of her family is understood to have died in the quake.

Comments on the viral video indicated it was filmed in one of the rural areas in Aleppo, which was ruined by the earthquake that struck both Syria and Turkey on Monday, February 6, with a magnitude of 7.8 on the Richter scale. At least 700 people in opposition-controlled Syria and 538 in government-held areas of Syria had died at the time of writing, Sky News reported.

The region was rocked by another earthquake early Tuesday morning, February 7, after two others razed Turkey and Syria a day earlier, with thousands trapped under the rubble of collapsed structures. According to the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), the latest 5.8-magnitude quake struck at a depth of 1.2 miles in central Turkey. Rescue efforts continued as the death toll in Turkey alone crossed 3,400.

Death toll might hit 20,000 soon

Meanwhile, a winter storm has resulted in freezing temperatures that have hampered the work of rescuers, with the cold making the need to reach trapped survivors more urgent. The death toll could hit 20,000, and more than 23 million people - including 1.4 million children - could be affected, according to a WHO official.

Syria's humanitarian needs were the highest with the death toll standing at 1,602 as of 12 pm local time, per data released by the Syrian government and the White Helmets rescue service in the insurgent-held northwest. Meanwhile, the death toll climbed to 3,419 in Turkey with another 20,534 people injured, Vice President Fuat Oktay revealed on Tuesday morning. Thus, the total number of people killed has already crossed 5,100 at the time of publication. Further, Italian seismology expert Carlo Doglioni said the Arabian tectonic plate shifted three meters during the quake, the Daily Mail reported.