Baby rescued from sewer by firefighters

Rescuers in the eastern Zhejiang province delicately dismantled the piping to free the baby.

A tenant heard an infant crying in the toilet of a residential building on Saturday and notified authorities, according to the state-run news site Zhejiang News.

Video footage of the two-hour rescue that followed has been broadcast widely on Chinese news programmes and websites.

The child – named Baby Number 59 after the number of his incubator – was reported to be safe in a nearby hospital.

News of the rescue prompted an outpouring of goodwill from strangers, who came to the hospital with nappies, baby clothes, powdered milk and offers to adopt the child.

Police are treating the case as an attempted homicide, and are looking for the mother and anyone else involved in the incident.