A four-year-old boy has survived almost five days alone Russian woodland rife with bears and wolves.
Exhausted Dima Peskov was covered in ticks and mosquito bites when he was discovered in the Urals, western Russia.
His parents said he was too traumatised to speak after getting lost on a camping trip and survived by eating grass and drinking puddle water.
The child - found curled up under a tree - was found to be suffering from dehydration and pneumonia, according to doctors.
His condition was tonight described as 'grave but stable'.
He was found as police had begun to suspect his father of murdering the child and burying him in the forest.
Dima is unable to talk to his parents but can moan or nod to questions from his parents and nurses.
A huge search had been underway for the boy with 500 volunteers helping to find him after he went missing near Reftinskoye reservoir where bears and wolves prowl.
One rescuer described his survival as a 'miracle'.
After being found the child was airlifted to hospital in Asbest, 50 miles north east of regional capital Ekaterinburg.
His father Andrey Peskov said a young volunteer from Sokol Rescue Squad had found his son
'He saw a little mound behind a birch tree and came closer,' he told the Siberian Times.
'He walked around a tree and realised that the mound was actually a child lying down.
'At first, the rescuer thought that the boy was dead, but then he saw a slight move. Our son is now feeling better, he understand me - even though he doesn't speak.
'He talks back by either nodding his head or blinking his eyes. He is very strong, our son, but he spent more than four days in the woods.
'He is so exhausted. I cannot express our gratitude to everyone who helped looking for him. A huge, huge thank you. You didn't leave us alone in trouble.'
The boy's mother Alfia Peskova, in tears and visibly shocked, said: 'Thank you so much to the volunteers.
'Our son is much better now. True he cannot speak, he moans back, but he understand what is said to him.
'He is on a drip now to ensure he gets fluids and food. His clothes were just cut off him, he was wrapped in a blanket.'
Dima was lost after helping his father gather firewood. His father thought he had returned to his mother by the family's tent.
The parents say they staged their own search before calling police.
The father admitted: 'Police suspected that I killed our son and hid his body.'
He refused to comment further.
The Russian Investigative Committee confirmed it is probing whether the parents were negligent in their supervision.
The press service of Sverdlovsk region Investigative Committee said: 'More than 50 people were called as witnesses to be interrogated as part of the investigation.
'They included Dima's relatives, neighbours, staff at his kindergarten and also fishermen on shore of the reservoir that night.
'As we interrogate witnesses, we clarify the reasons and conditions that led to situation when the boy's life was put under threat.'
Exhausted Dima Peskov was covered in ticks and mosquito bites when he was discovered in the Urals, western Russia.
His parents said he was too traumatised to speak after getting lost on a camping trip and survived by eating grass and drinking puddle water.
The child - found curled up under a tree - was found to be suffering from dehydration and pneumonia, according to doctors.
His condition was tonight described as 'grave but stable'.
He was found as police had begun to suspect his father of murdering the child and burying him in the forest.
Dima is unable to talk to his parents but can moan or nod to questions from his parents and nurses.
A huge search had been underway for the boy with 500 volunteers helping to find him after he went missing near Reftinskoye reservoir where bears and wolves prowl.
One rescuer described his survival as a 'miracle'.
After being found the child was airlifted to hospital in Asbest, 50 miles north east of regional capital Ekaterinburg.
His father Andrey Peskov said a young volunteer from Sokol Rescue Squad had found his son
'He saw a little mound behind a birch tree and came closer,' he told the Siberian Times.
'He walked around a tree and realised that the mound was actually a child lying down.
'At first, the rescuer thought that the boy was dead, but then he saw a slight move. Our son is now feeling better, he understand me - even though he doesn't speak.
'He talks back by either nodding his head or blinking his eyes. He is very strong, our son, but he spent more than four days in the woods.
'He is so exhausted. I cannot express our gratitude to everyone who helped looking for him. A huge, huge thank you. You didn't leave us alone in trouble.'
The boy's mother Alfia Peskova, in tears and visibly shocked, said: 'Thank you so much to the volunteers.
'Our son is much better now. True he cannot speak, he moans back, but he understand what is said to him.
'He is on a drip now to ensure he gets fluids and food. His clothes were just cut off him, he was wrapped in a blanket.'
Dima was lost after helping his father gather firewood. His father thought he had returned to his mother by the family's tent.
The parents say they staged their own search before calling police.
The father admitted: 'Police suspected that I killed our son and hid his body.'
He refused to comment further.
The Russian Investigative Committee confirmed it is probing whether the parents were negligent in their supervision.
The press service of Sverdlovsk region Investigative Committee said: 'More than 50 people were called as witnesses to be interrogated as part of the investigation.
'They included Dima's relatives, neighbours, staff at his kindergarten and also fishermen on shore of the reservoir that night.
'As we interrogate witnesses, we clarify the reasons and conditions that led to situation when the boy's life was put under threat.'
Music: "Unwritten Return" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Source: Siberian Times, Daily Mail, Reuters
Comments
Post a Comment