Sometimes it takes an awful tragedy to appreciate what kind of miracles can occur.

And that is exactly what is happening right now in the South American country of Colombia, where people who have just had to endure a devastating mudslide that took the lives of at least 78 individuals are now rejoicing in the miracle survival of an 11-month-old baby named Jhosep Diaz.

The baby’s mother as well as 11 of his relatives perished in Monday's mudslide. Against all likelihood, the infant was discovered alive, buried face-down in the mud more than a mile away from where he had been sleeping when the flash flood swept through the town of Salgar in the province of Antioquia.

As reported in the Associated Press, the doctor who first treated Diaz stated that the baby was very cold and nearing hypothermia, but that, due to the fact that he was nestled in a padded crib when he was carried away by the mudslide, the child appeared to have by chance avoided any major injuries.

As Dr. Jesus Antonio Guisao explained to the AP: "He was unconscious and didn't open his little eyes but was breathing." The child was transferred to a hospital in Medellin after his vital signs were stabilized.

As reported by the Guardian, President Juan Manuel Santos traveled to the affected town to oversee relief efforts, and, while noting that several children had lost their parents to the mudslide, vowed to rebuild the lost homes and give shelter and assistance to the estimated 500 people affected by the natural disaster, saying: “Nobody can bring back the dead … but we have to handle this disaster as best we can to move forward.”

As far as baby Diaz goes, doctors announced that he had suffered multiple abrasions, light bruises and a broken rib, but that beyond this he was recovering well.