Orphaned baby Aya born in the earthquake rubble in Syria has been moved amid kidnap fears

• A newborn rescued from the ruins of a major earthquake in Syria has been moved to a safe location.
• The move is a precaution against possible kidnapping attempts, a source told BBC News.

An orphaned Syrian baby who was saved by rescuers following last week's deadly earthquake in Syria and Turkey has been moved to a "safe location" by health authorities as a precaution against possible kidnapping attempts, BBC News reported.

The baby, who has been named Aya, is the only survivor of her immediate family. Her parents and four siblings died in the 7.8 magnitude earthquake which has, so far, resulted in more than 40,000 deaths.

Her mother died soon after giving birth to Aya, who was still connected by her umbilical cord when rescuers found her in the ruins of a devastated building, Agence France-Presse reported.

After a video showing a rescuer pulling Aya from the rubble went viral, there was an outpouring of support for the baby, with thousands of people from around the world offering to adopt her.

But Aya has now had to be moved to a safer location to protect her from possible kidnapping or adoption fraud, a source told BBC News.

The Indian newspaper Firstpost reported that Aya was put under police protection after several strangers turned up at the hospital claiming to be related to her.

Meanwhile, on Monday a violent incident took place at the hospital in Afrin, Syria, when a male nurse and two armed men allegedly attacked the hospital manager, BBC News reported.

According to social media posts reviewed by BBC News, the head of Afrin's health directorate said that claims that the incident was related to a kidnapping attempt were a "misunderstanding."

Aya is currently being cared for by the hospital manager, Khalid Attiah, and his wife, who are looking after the orphaned baby alongside their own four-month-old daughter, according to reports.

The couple said they would look after the baby until a distant relative is able to take her in, per the Associated Press.

The Guardian reported that Aya's great-uncle intends to adopt her once she is released from the hospital.