Garbage truck delay saves newborn baby in Greece

A newborn boy left in a waste chute in the western Greek city of Kalamata was saved by chance Wednesday when the garbage truck was late in making its daily rounds, the local mayor said.

"The baby was fortunate in its misfortune...there was a delay in the day's collection," Kalamata mayor Thanassis Vassilopoulos told Alpha TV.

"The garbage trucks do not just load waste, they compress it," he added.

The days-old newborn had been left in a garbage chute several metres deep in the centre of town, the television station said.

Found by a woman feeding strays, the baby was taken to a local hospital with breathing difficulty, and is expected to make a full recovery, the station said.