Nine 'mothers' claim tsunami baby

Thousands of parents lost children to the tsunami in Sri Lanka

Nine women in Sri Lanka are reported to have claimed to be the mother of an unidentified infant rescued from the Indian Ocean tsunami.

The boy was covered in bruises and mud when he was brought to a hospital in the town of Kalmunai, a doctor said.

Police were called after some of the women threatened violence, the Associated Press agency reports.

Tsunami-hit areas have reported several cases of parents who lost offspring claiming rescued orphans as their own.

Children are believed to make up about 40% of the estimated 31,000 people killed by the sea surges which struck Sri Lanka on 26 December.

The tsunami also left behind some 1,000 orphans in the country, according to data quoted by the UN's children's charity, Unicef.

Costly tests

Quarrels have broken out among people claiming to be the baby's parents, hospital officials say.

One of the women reportedly threatened to kill a doctor, while another said she would commit suicide if the baby was not handed over.

"Parents who have lost their children come every day to the hospital to check," a doctor at the hospital, KR Saseenthirian, said.

"Some go back, and some stay and claim that the baby is theirs."

The hospital plans to refer the issue to a court.

"If the court asks us to conduct DNA tests, we will do that," said Dr Saseenthirian.

However, it is not clear who will foot the bill for the costly tests.