A one-year-old baby girl named Aliye Dagli was found alive under the rubble of her home in Antakya almost six days after the quake, despite experts saying the chances of finding survivors after the first 72 hours were less than 10%.
Aliye’s mother and three-year-old sister were found dead on the first day of the rescue operation, but her father held onto hope that his daughter was still alive.
He refused to leave the scene and worked alongside the rescue teams for days until Aliye was eventually found. She was severely dehydrated and suffered from a few bruises, but other than that, she was in remarkably good health.
The rescuers described Aliye as a “miracle baby,” and her survival has brought hope and joy to a nation that has been reeling from the devastating effects of the earthquakes.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan even made a heartwarming gesture when he named the newborn baby of an earthquake victim at a hospital in Istanbul. During his visit to survivors at Basaksehir Cam and Sakura City Hospital, Erdogan recited the Muslim call to prayer in the newborn girl’s ear and named her “Ayse Betul,” repeating it three times, at the request of the baby’s mother.
The earthquakes that struck southern Turkey affected more than 13 million people across 10 provinces, killing at least 31,643 people and injuring over 80,000 others. The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 quakes, centered in Kahramanmaras province, also impacted neighboring countries, including Syria and Lebanon.
Despite the scale of the disaster, stories like Aliye’s and Ayse’s remind us that hope can emerge from the darkest of situations. Their stories have captured the world’s attention and serve as a testament to the resilience and strength of the human spirit.
