Newborn dumped in CBD
The baby was wrapped in nothing but a towel - the umbilical cord still attached
Throngs of people crowded around a street vendor’s stall on Byrne Street, Empangeni on Wednesday afternoon, craning their necks to catch a glimpse of an abandoned baby.
It is reported that a woman, whom witnesses described as ‘no older than 18’, dropped off a black duffel bag at the stall at around 2.30pm.
She asked the vendor to look after the bag while she went to a nearby store.
However, after she left the vendor noticed movement from within the bag, and upon opening it discovered a newborn baby, barely hours old, wrapped in nothing but a towel – the umbilical cord still attached.
Kwazulu Private Ambulance Paramedics responded to the scene, carefully dressing and assessing the child before declaring it healthy.
The baby, temporarily in the care of the the street vendor, was transported to the police station, then to the Lower Umfolozi War Memorial Regional Hospital for further treatment.
