Video Of Newborn Rescued From Storm Drain Goes Viral

An abandoned newborn was rescued from a storm drain in the southern Indian city of Chennai on Wednesday, which also happened to be the country’s 72nd the Independence Day.

It all started when an unidentified milkman was on his way to deliver his supplies in the early hours of the morning. After hearing cries coming from a storm drain in Valasaravakkam, Chennai, he alerted one of residents of the area, who was identified only as Geetha.

Initially believing the cries were that of a kitten stuck in the drain, Geetha decided to check out the source of the sound. After peering inside the drain, she discovered an infant was stuck in the drain.

Although it is not clear if Geetha had any medical expertise, she wasted no time in preparing to rescue the baby. Putting her hand inside the opening of the drain, she lightly tugged at the baby’s feet. After being sure the infant was not facing any obstacles in its path, she firmly held and pulled out the baby in one swift move.

"A milkman alerted us following which we reached the spot immediately. Fortunately there was no water in the place where the infant was kept. The baby is fine. He is presently at the government children's hospital, Egmore. We will send him to a children's home later," a police officer told television channel NDTV.

Geetha’s actions were caught on video, recorded by one of the bystanders, which went viral on social media.

After the baby boy was safely out of the drain, it was found a piece of umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck. Geetha gently removed the umbilical cord from the baby’s throat so that he would not be hurt by it.

The baby appeared to have some difficulty breathing initially after being rescued. Geetha asked for some water from the onlookers, who helped out the woman. She washed the baby and wrapped him in a blanket before taking him to Chennai's Egmore Hospital.

“The boy had dirt all over the body and the umbilical cord was intact,” a police officer, who later arrived at the scene, told the daily the Hindu.

The police believed the baby was born at 6 a.m. local time (8:30 p.m. EDT, Tuesday) on Wednesday at someone’s house.

“It does not appear to be a birth in a hospital. We are carrying out an investigation. We will be taking strict action against the parents once we find them,” the police said.

Although the child remained in incubator at the hospital, his condition was stable.

According to one of the reports, when Geetha went to meet the child in the hospital, she was denied permission. However, a photo from the hospital posted on Twitter showed Geetha dressed in scrubs and holding the baby in her arms.

"I am naming him Suthanthiram [which means freedom in Tamil] since we found him on Independence Day. I am glad he got his freedom to live," Geeta said.

Geetha said she wanted to adopt the baby, and added, “If the officials help with the procedure to adopt the child, I will be grateful.”