The deadly accident involving a Let L-410 light plane took place last Wednesday as the plane approached for landing near the settlement of Nelkan. The crash claimed the lives of its two pilots and four passengers. The baby girl was the lone survivor.
After being taken to hospital in the city of Khabarovsk, doctors found that the girl had only minor injuries, suffering a slight concussion and a broken leg. Her leg was operated on Monday. Doctors now list her general condition as relatively satisfactory.
Dr. Ivan Goncharov, the head physician at the Khabarovsk Regional Children's Hospital, assured Russia's RIA Novosti news agency that the baby girl will make it out ok.
"Her condition is stable, everything is normal; she is getting all the necessary treatment," he said.
According to the physician, children with similar injuries usually remain in hospital for about a month.
The girl's mother, who was not on board the plane, earlier confirmed the extent of her daughter's injuries, and said that she was being taken to her grandmother's home in the countryside. According to witnesses, the girl was saved by a heroic school teacher, who shielded the baby with her body as the plane made its fateful landing. Local residents have asked that the teacher be posthumously awarded.
Heroic teacher saved toddler girl's life in plane crash #Russia https://t.co/vAdRv9xjNM
— Lada Ray (@LadaTweets) 18 ноября 2017 г.
The girl's miraculous survival has resulted in an outpouring of support online. In the comments section of RIA Novosti's reporting, users wished her good health and a long life. "Get well soon, little one!" one user wrote. "It's a miracle. At least this one time God took pity on an innocent child," another added. "I wish her a speedy recovery and a long, long life!" another wrote.
A criminal investigation has been opened against Khabarovsk Airlines under the article 'for the violation of the rules of air traffic safety and the operation of an aircraft causing the death of two or more persons'. The Far East Hydrometeological Center reported that weather conditions at Nelkan settlement were satisfactory at the time of the accident.
