An excavator works on debris of houses to search for bodies of victims at the quake zone in Ludian county, Zhaotong, Yunnan province, August 5, 2014. An earthquake in China on the weekend triggered landslides that have blocked rivers and created rapidly g
IN PHOTO: An excavator works on debris of houses to search for bodies of victims at the quake zone in Ludian county, Zhaotong, Yunnan province, August 5, 2014. An earthquake in China on the weekend triggered landslides that have blocked rivers and created rapidly growing bodies of water that could unleash more destruction on survivors of the disaster that killed 410 people, state media reported on Thursday. REUTERS/Wong Campion REUTERS/Wong Campion

An 11-month-old infant miraculously survived a huge landslide in the town of La Margarita in northwest Colombia. The said landslide was reported to have killed at least 84 people when the banks of the Liboriana River crashed and resulted in the unfortunate accident. The family of the baby recounted how the little boy survived the fatal incident.

The baby, named Jhoset, was in his crib sound asleep when the wall of mud hit the town, washing away everything and everyone along the way. The mother of Jhoset was amongst the 84 people killed in the accident. However, the little boy somehow found a way to survive the fatal landslide. After the day of the accident, Jhoset was found by a rescue worker laying in a pool of mud, a kilometre away from the scene. He was bruised and banged but was found alive. He was then transported to a hospital in the regional capital of Medellin, which was 100 kilometres away.

"The river pulled him to a flat bank where there was some sludge and a man saw him there. He was flailing, even crawling with his little body, on his little stomach, and I think that's how they found him, face-down and struggling to get out," Natalia Rincon, his cousin, told the AFP. "It's more than a miracle. We're missing 15 relatives and amidst it all, there's the miracle of the boy found alive. Just think what a big miracle that is." It was discovered that Jhoset and his mother travelled from Andes to Salgar in La Margarita for a family reunion when the accident occurred.

The family went to the hospital, hoping to find relatives who might have been victims of the landslide. When they saw Jhoset in a small stretcher, Rincon said they recognised him immediately. He had a bruise and was very cold, she added. According to the doctors, Jhoset is on his way to recovery. "He was clinging so tightly to life that all he does now is laugh and eat. When he sees his grandpa he's happy, when he sees his aunt he's happy,” Rincon described. “I think he laughs all the time."

Jhoset is going to celebrate his birthday on June 14. He is expected to be discharged from the hospital before the said date. His birthday is an event which the family regard as something to be celebrated.

To contact the writer, email rinadoctor00@gmail.com.

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