Amaravati, Sep 7 (IANS): A just-born baby found half-buried has been rescued by some shepherds in a village in Andhra Pradesh's East Godavari district.

The incident occurred near Krishnavaram village in Yetapaka Mandal on Saturday but surfaced last evening.

Some shepherds grazing their cattle heard the baby crying and they found it half-buried. They immediately cleared the mud and called women from the village for help.

According to locals, the women removed mud from the baby's mouth and gave it a bath. The male baby suffered minor injuries on its hands and legs due to stones.

The rescued baby was then shifted to Lakshmipuram Primary Health Centre and later to the Bhadrachalam Area Hospital in neighbouring Telangana. The newborn is stated to be fine.

Locals said the baby may have been buried a few minutes before the shepherds heard the cries. The shepherds said they did not find any suspicious person before the incident.

Meanwhile, the women development and child welfare department has launched an inquiry to identify the parent.

On the direction of the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) chairperson Padmavathi, a special team visited the village to gather details about the incident and conduct an inquiry. They collected information about pregnant women and the deliveries that took place in the village during the last couple of days.

The team gathered information from auxiliary nurse midwives, ASHA workers and Anganwadi employees. It also spoke to local police officials about their investigation.

The CWC team also enquired about the newborn's health condition.