A NEWBORN baby that was abandoned on a filthy Dongguan riverbank managed to survive a night of Typhoon Kalmaegi’s lashing rains and winds, before he was found.

    The baby, found naked and bruised with sand in his mouth, was rushed to hospital Tuesday.

    Policeman Li Xiaolong, who was called to the scene, said the child even had 20 centimeters of umbilical cord attached. Li said it was believed that the baby was born Monday amid a downpour.

    Though it was several hours before Kalmaegi made landfall in Guangdong, there were already heavy rains from the typhoon Monday evening.

    “The baby’s whole body had turned blue. [He] was shaking from the cold and crying, but couldn’t make any sound. The condition was very critical,” Li told the Southern Metropolis Daily.

    The river where the boy was found was flowing with sewage and had been closed off from the surrounding factories and apartment blocks. The riverbank, infested with flies and rats, is covered in trash thrown from apartment windows.

    Residents told the newspaper that few people usually venture near the river.

    However, a woman spotted the baby from the balcony of her second-floor apartment near a factory at around 6 a.m. Tuesday.

    She alerted a security guard to call the police and ran to pick up the child, bringing clothes to swaddle the infant.

    The baby had bruises on his head, left foot and right hand. Doctors conducted a full body check and kept him under observation for typhoid fever or pneumonia.

    The baby is now in stable condition, the Daily reported.

    The typhoon, with wind gusts of up to 144 km/h brought floods and damage to parts of southern China.

    The case is still under investigation. Police said the baby may be sent to a welfare home upon recovery.

    Abandoning babies, especially babies with special needs, is an illegal though not a rare practice in the country. The problem has become so prevalent that some cities have set up “baby hatches” where parents can safely and anonymously leave their unwanted child.

    The program, backed by the Ministry of Civil Affairs, has drawn fierce criticism as some say the practice encourages parents to abandon their children. (SD-Agencies)