JOIN USAmid the grave tragedy in Malin, the village almost entirely wiped out by a landslide in Maharashtra, the rescue teams on Thursday dug out a three-month-old infant and his mother safely from the debris, officials said.
The duo, Rudra and his mother Pramila Lembhe, were rushed to a hospital where more joy was in store - they were reunited with Rudra’s grandmother, who was rescued on Wednesday night.
“It is truly a miracle that they could make it safely. They were buried in the darkness under several feet of debris and wet mud for hours,” said medical team members.
As the excavator machines and dumpers were busy searching for survivors, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) officials heard the baby’s cries from underneath the ground.
Immediately, they ordered caution by the heavy vehicles, and with extreme care, shifted the wet mud and other obstacles to create an opening in the ground.
They were surprised and overjoyed to see the infant clinging to his weak mother, lying on her lap in the pitch darkness, both still breathing, trapped under some household furniture.
Later, Pramila Lembhe told rescuers that she was feeding Rudra early Wednesday when she heard a booming sound from behind their house.
Before she could react, the wall crashed, and an open rack with utensils tumbled and fell on her, after which it was darkness for mother and son.
After several hours of waiting and praying for help, Rudra and Pramila were finally rescued with minor abrasions on Thursday.
Delighted at coming out of the dark hole where he was trapped for so long, Rudra laughed loudly, his laughter bringing tears of joy to many rescuers and medical workers there.
The amazing rescue came in the midst of rising death toll, currently at 41. Several people have been rescued, including eight who suffered injuries in the landslide on the village of 50 families in Pune district.