Rescued Chinese Baby Leaves Hospital

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Chinese Newborn Baby Rescued from Sewage Pipe

A newborn baby boy who was rescued from a sewage pipe in a Chinese apartment building has been released from the hospital into the custody of family members.

China's state-run news agency Xinuha quoted police as saying the infant's 22-year-old mother, as well as his grandparents and the man purported to be the child's father, will take care of the child.

The report quoted the man saying he intends to verify whether the child is actually his.

Police said the woman, who had kept her pregnancy secret, gave birth to the baby Saturday in a squat toilet in her apartment in the city of Jinhua.

The police are treating the incident as an accident. The woman is not being charged.

According to Xinhua, the woman said she tried to grab the newborn before it fell into the toilet, but its body was too slippery. Local police said evidence they have obtained supports the woman's claims.

Firefighters and doctors successfully rescued the infant from a U-shaped pipe where it had become lodged, according to the police.

There are frequent reports in Chinese media of babies being abandoned, often shortly after birth. The problem is attributed to factors such as young mothers being unaware they are pregnant, or China's strict family planning rules.