After A Devastating Apartment Explosion in Russia, A Baby Boy Is Found Alive In The Rubble

One day after a devastating apartment explosion in the Russian city of Magnitogorsk, a baby boy has been found alive amidst the rubble. This rescue comes not long after Health Minister Veronika Skvortsova said that the chances of finding anyone else alive in the debris were fading. The explosion was believed to have been a result of a gas leak.

According to CNN, rescuers clearing rubble has discovered the small child who is believed to be less than a year old. The “dramatic” footage was released by Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry.

The boy was pulled alive from the rubble, wearing nothing more than a shirt and pink socks and his condition is listed as “serious.” According to Reuters, the boy had to endure 35 hours in temperatures that would have dropped to freezing levels. Currently, the temperature in the area is -17 Celsius (1.4 Fahrenheit).

It is believed that the fact the boy was bundled up in layers of warmth in his own bed is what saved his life. However, he still sustained a closed head wound and a “serious freezer burn.”

Initially, the 11-month-old’s cries were what triggered a frantic search. A “large-scale operation was immediately organized.” Previously, rescue dogs had been on site but had not found any evidence of life, so the sounds of a baby crying was likely a surprise to rescuers still scanning the area. As rescuers dug into the remains of the apartment building, the baby’s face was revealed “pale and blinking among the debris.”

More than 30 hours after a blast gutted a Russian apartment block, rescue workers have pulled a baby alive and well from the rubble https://t.co/zEpYDdUnFh

— SBS News (@SBSNews) January 1, 2019

“Hundreds of people were waiting for the appearance of the injured child from under the rubble like a miracle. And the miracle happened,” officials said.

“Tears drew in the eyes of the weatherbeaten rescuers.”

When discovered, the child was immediately bundled up and rushed to the hospital. It is believed that the boy’s mother is alive and currently also in the hospital. It is unclear what her medical status is, though.

At least eight people died as a result of the explosion and 36 more are still listed as missing from the building that was known to house approximately 120 people. The gas explosion damaged 48 apartments in a 10-story building in Russia’s Chelyabinsk region near the Kazakhstan border. This baby is believed to be the fifth person to be pulled alive from the rubble.

The devastating explosion occurred in one of Russia’s largest steel plants, very early on Monday morning. Due to a public holiday, many residents of the apartment building were still asleep when the explosion hit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoYVkRQZG0o