Current:Home > ScamsBenjamin Ashford|Turkey earthquake "miracle" baby girl finally reunited with mom almost two months after the deadly quakes -Wealth Evolution Experts
Benjamin Ashford|Turkey earthquake "miracle" baby girl finally reunited with mom almost two months after the deadly quakes
Chainkeen Exchange View
Date:2025-04-10 06:07:45
Istanbul — A baby girl who was rescued after being buried under earthquake rubble in Turkey for 128 hours was finally reunited with her mother on Benjamin AshfordMonday. The mother and her daughter were separated when a pair of devastating quakes struck southern Turkey in early February, killing more than 50,000 people in Turkey and across the border in northern Syria.
The mother was initially thought to have died in the rubble in Turkey's hard-hit Hatay province, and the baby, only about a month and a half old at the time, was placed under state care. Social workers called her Gizem, which means "mystery" in Turkish. But after a family member approached officials, a DNA test was carried out and it proved that Yaseming Besdag, who's still being treated for her injuries in the city of Adana, is the baby's mother.
Turkey's Minister of Family and Social Services, Derya Yanik, shared a video Monday on Twitter showing what she said was the baby girl back in her mother's arms for the first time in 54 days.
"To witness their happiness is an emotional and beautiful moment for us, too. Uniting a mother with her child is one of the most precious deeds in the world," Yanik said in the video, as she stood at Besdag's bedside.
54 günlük hasret sona erdi.😊
— Derya Yanık (@deryayanikashb) April 3, 2023
Enkaz altından 128 saat sonra kurtulan, hemşirelerimizin Gizem Bebek ismini koyduğu Vetin Begdaş 54 gün sonra annesine kavuştu.
Vetin artık bizim de bebeğimiz.
Bakanlık olarak desteğimiz her zaman yanında olacak. pic.twitter.com/66sWKR53z3
The video showed the government minister personally helping to reunited the pair after the infant was flown to Adana from Ankara on a private plane.
The mother and baby were the only survivors from their family, as the baby girl lost her father and two brothers when the earthquakes struck.
The Family and Social Services Ministry told CBS News that 135 children were still under state care in the wake of the quakes, and the identity of 33 remained unknown as they were either too young or otherwise unable to identify themselves.
So far 1,774 children have been returned to their families in Turkey after being separated amid the chaos of the earthquakes, officials told CBS News.
- In:
- Rescue
- Turkey
- Earthquake
veryGood! (41)
Related
- Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
- How Johns Hopkins Scientists and Neighborhood Groups Model Climate Change in Baltimore
- EPA Gives Chicago Decades to Replace Lead Pipes, Leaving Communities at Risk
- Harris and Trump will both make a furious last-day push before Election Day
- Immigration issues sorted, Guatemala runner Luis Grijalva can now focus solely on sports
- Dak Prescott injury update: Cowboys QB shares outlook for next week vs. Eagles
- Federal Court Ruling on a Reservoir Expansion Could Have Big Implications for the Colorado River
- In dash across Michigan, Harris contrasts optimism with Trump’s rhetoric without uttering his name
- Beware of giant spiders: Thousands of tarantulas to emerge in 3 states for mating season
- Oklahoma small town police chief and entire police department resign with little explanation
Ranking
- Romantasy reigns on spicy BookTok: Recommendations from the internet’s favorite genre
- Kamala Harris and Maya Rudolph's Saturday Night Live Skit Will Have You Seeing Double
- Which celebs are supporting Harris and Trump? Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Amber Rose, Jason Aldean, more
- 'Thank God': Breonna Taylor's mother reacts to Brett Hankison guilty verdict
- Intel's stock did something it hasn't done since 2022
- Kim Kardashian Wears Princess Diana's Cross Pendant With Royally Risqué Gown
- Chris Olave injury update: Saints WR suffers concussion in Week 9 game vs. Panthers
- Chloë Grace Moretz shares she is a 'gay woman' in Kamala Harris endorsement
Recommendation
'Kraven the Hunter' spoilers! Let's dig into that twisty ending, supervillain reveal
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Nice Comeback
Harris and Trump will both make a furious last-day push before Election Day
Remains of naval aviators killed in Washington state training flight to return home
'Stranger Things' prequel 'The First Shadow' is headed to Broadway
Harris, Obamas and voting rights leaders work to turn out Black voters in run-up to Election Day
Nvidia replaces Intel on the Dow index in AI-driven shift for semiconductor industry
RFK Jr. says Trump would push to remove fluoride from drinking water. ‘It’s possible,’ Trump says