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Baby rescued in deadly building blast in Magnitogorsk can breathe on his own, say medics

Medics continue monitoring the baby’s condition round-the-clock

MOSCOW, January 5./TASS/. Medics assess as stable the condition of ten-month-old Vanya rescued in the deadly apartment block blast in Magnitogorsk on December 31, he has been removed from ventilator and can now breathe on his own, Russian Healthcare Ministry Spokesman Maxim Radetsky told reporters on Saturday.

He breathes on his own and is provided with nasal oxygen to make the process easier, he said. "Medics continue monitoring the baby’s condition round-the-clock," the spokesman added.

The baby is in the intensive care unit of the Research Institute of Emergency Pediatric Surgery and Traumatology in Moscow, where he was evacuated on January 1. The baby boy was diagnosed with craniocerebral injury, fractures, decreased kidney function and dehydration. Medics say there is no brain damage and they will most likely save the baby’s leg damaged by frostbite.

A section of a ten-story apartment block collapsed in Magnitogorsk on December 31. Eighteen people were rescued a few hours after the tragedy. Six others, including two children, were found by Emergencies Ministry rescuers who were clearing the rubble. The tragedy claimed the lives of 39 people. The search and rescue operation lasted four days.