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US toddler survives 11-storey fall

A 15-month-old boy has survived an 11-storey fall from the balcony of his family's apartment in the US city of Minneapolis.

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Source: AAP


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A young boy survived an 11-storey fall from a US high-rise and has been dubbed "the miracle baby".

Fifteen-month-old Musa Dayib suffered a broken spine and ribs as well as a concussion and a punctured lung. Musa's relatives believe he slipped through the railing of his family's apartment balcony in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Sunday evening.

The boy was in critical but stable condition on Wednesday, Hennepin County Medical Center spokeswoman Christine Hill said.

Dr Tina Slusher of the hospital's paediatric intensive care unit told the Star Tribune that Musa landed on a small patch of mulch.

"If you and I fell that far, we would be dead," Slusher said. "He's a kid. So they tend to be more flexible and pliable than you and I would be. Having said that, it's a real gift from God that he made it because this is a huge fall."

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A group of Somali-Americans who live in the area quickly gathered as emergency workers treated the boy and an ambulance took him to the hospital, said community activist Abdirizak Bihi.

"When people found out he survived, no one could believe it," Bihi said.

Bihi said the child's mother was running errands while his father watched the boy and his three-year-old sister. The father had gone briefly into another room when the boy fell, Bihi said.

In a statement released by hospital officials, the parents said they were thankful for the "continued prayers for Musa and his family at this time".


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