Nepal baby: Mother of infant pulled from house after 22 hours says her son's survival is a 'miracle'

The four-month-old escaped without any serous injuries

Heather Saul
Friday 01 May 2015 07:40 BST
Comments
The baby boy was pulled from the wreckage by the Nepalese army
The baby boy was pulled from the wreckage by the Nepalese army

The mother of the “miracle” baby in Nepal who was pulled from the rubble of a collapsed house after a devastating earthquake has described her relief at his rescue.

Incredible images of the four-month-old boy emerging alive captivated thousands on Wednesday as the world reeled from the losses suffered during the 7.8 magnitude earthquake.

Rasmila Sawal, the boy’s mother, said his rescue after being trapped under the rubble for 22-hours was simply a “miracle”.

The parents watch on as their son is rescued

"I am just so happy. I cannot believe it,” she told The Daily Mirror. Her husband Shyam agreed, adding that he was “the happiest man in the world”.

Shyam said he left the family home in Muldhoka to go shopping just before the quake struck, leaving his ten-year-old daughter in charge. His daughter had stepped out of the house before the earthquake hit and was unhurt .

"When the quake happened I burst into tears and ran home,” he said. “I thought they were both dead."

He then tried in vain to free his son Sonies with his hands, but was forced to wait for the army to come and release him.

The child's survival was described as a 'miracle' by his parents

The Nepal earthquake is the worst in 80 years and has sparked a huge humanitarian catastrophe. Over 600,000 homes have been damaged or destroyed and two million people are still in need of immediate emergency relief such as tents, water and food.

Many citizens are still sleeping in the open. Figures from the United Nations suggest up to eight million people may have been affected by Saturday's quake.

The disaster killed over 5,500 people and injured 11,200 more. Officials fear this death toll could double as more information surfaces over the coming weeks.

Rescuers aided by a US team discovered a 15-year-old boy still alive under rubble in the capital of Kathmandu on Thursday.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in