Good Samaritans Safely Removed 6-Month-Old Baby From Mudslide Rubble

The Moment That Heroic Bystanders Found 6-Month-Old Baby In Mudslide Rubble

The mudslide that took place in Oso, Wash., last weekend has claimed the lives of at least 21 people, according to the Associated Press, but thanks to some heroic rescuers, a 6-month-old baby was saved from the rubble.

Just after the mudslide occurred on March 22, drivers en route to Darrington, Wash., who'd stopped on the highway along the disaster site, heard a baby crying from somewhere within the debris, according to Q13 Fox News. A bystander told the outlet that she saw several men enter the wreckage to look for the crying infant, despite warnings from officials.

"The State Patrol tried to stop them and said, 'No, you can’t go out there, it’s too dangerous,' and he (one of the men) says, 'I hear a baby out there,'" the woman told Q13 Fox news.

Kody Wesson, and others who had witnessed the mudslide moments earlier, entered the wreckage and rescued the baby, who turned out to be 6-month-old Duke Suddarth, KIRO TV reported.

"You gotta help 'em. How can you not? What are you supposed to do, you can't just stand there and watch," Wesson told the outlet.

Duke is now in the intensive care unit at the Harborview Medical Center in Seattle where he's in serious condition, but showing signs of improvement, KOMO News reported. Duke's mother, Amanda, was separately rescued from the rubble and is also recovering in the hospital.

"We are so grateful to all the responders who jeopardized their safety in order to pull Duke and Amanda out of the debris," the family said in a statement. "Words alone cannot tell you how thankful we are. Our hearts and support continue to go out to everyone who has been affected by this tragedy."

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