BOGOTA, Colombia — Colombians celebrated the rescue of an 11-month-old child who survived a mudslide that killed at least 78 people — including the boy’s mother and 11 other relatives.
Jhosep Diaz was found buried facedown in the mud Monday, more than half a mile from where he had been sleeping when a flash flood swept away dozens of homes before dawn in the mountain town of Salgar.
The doctor who first treated him said he was very cold but appeared to have avoided serious injury because he was nestled in a padded crib when he was carried away by the current.
“He was unconscious and didn’t open his little eyes but was breathing,” Dr. Jesus Antonio Guisao said Wednesday.
After the baby’s vital signs were stabilized, he was transferred to a hospital in Medellin, where he continues to be monitored.
Authorities on Wednesday said there’s no chance of finding any more survivors from the disaster, even as a team of 300 rescuers continued to search home by home the neighborhoods ravaged by the mudslide.
The child’s grandfather, who is with him in Medellin, is likely to assume custody. The boy’s father was killed a year ago, Rincon said.