China: Newborn has lucky roadside escape

Motorbikes are a popular mode of transport for families in China

Doctors in the Chinese province of Guangdong were shocked when a woman who appeared to be in the throes of labour arrived at the hospital with no sign of her baby, it's reported.

The woman, identified in the local media as Mrs Li, had been brought to the Guangdong Chenguang Nongchang Hospital by her husband on his motorcycle just before midnight. Her husband and medical staff quickly realised that the mother had given birth en route to the hospital and promptly set about retracing the couple's journey, the Zhanjiang Daily website reports.

Fortunately for the couple, some passing drivers had spotted the infant on the ground and guarded the site until help arrived. Remarkably the baby was unharmed except for "a few scratches", the China Daily says.

The story has gone viral on China's social networking site Weibo, with many users making light of the incident and others unable to comprehend how the woman was able to give birth without even realising. User Grady Man Er jokes "Mum, how did I come into the world?" "I picked you up at the side of the road." While 883lulu says: "How did his mother not feel it?!" Others chose instead to focus on the happy ending. "God... this child is really lucky," comments star_Huangnian, while Pavilions says: "This is really the most wonderful 'news' I have ever seen..."

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