A toddler from Italy who went missing in the middle of the night was found by a journalist who was sent out to report on his disappearance, BBC News reports.
The young boy, who is just three months shy of his second birthday, was discovered some miles away from his home in Palazzuolo sul Senio, near Florence.
He had last been seen in his bedroom on Monday night and was reported missing by his parents the following day.
The story soon caught the attention of the media and reporters rushed to the surrounding areas of the boy's home in order to cover the around-the-clock search operation.
Giuseppe Di Tommaso, the reporter who found him, is believed to have heard sounds from a gorge near the road while he made his way to the family's home on Wednesday.
The child, whose name is Nicola Tanturli, was taken to the hospital after the ordeal and is reportedly in good health.
Per BBC News, the one-year-old had woken up in the middle of the night and wandered out of the family home.
Search teams had been dispatched to search for little Nicola, which included a helicopter, police, fire, and alpine rescuers. Overall, around 1,000 people had come together to search for the youngster, the local mayor stated.
Journalist Di Tommaso, who works with Italian state broadcaster Rai, alerted the attention of police after hearing the sound of a distressed child whimpering from the bottom of a wooded slope.
Danilo Ciccarelli, commander of the local Carabinieri lowered himself about 82ft down in order to investigate the concerning noises.
"I heard clearer cries and expected an animal to come out," Ciccarelli reportedly told a news conference in Italy. "Instead, Nicola came out with his head in the high grass and said 'mamma'. It was a beautiful feeling. It was a tremendous joy to bring him back to his mother’s arms."
"The emotion was huge. I'm still shaken," the journalist added.
Fortunately, after young Nicola was taken to the hospital for a medical check, it was found that the little one had only sustained minor injuries.
