An infant born with four arms and four legs in Baruipur, India is causing a stir in the area because of his resemblance to Hindu gods.
The baby's parents named him "God Boy," and thousands of people have travelled to be near the hospital where he was born.
"When he first came out we couldn't believe it," a relative told a local television station. "The nurses said he was badly deformed but I could see that this was a sign from God. In fact, this is a miracle, it's God's baby. Indian gods have extra limbs just like this."
The extra limbs are the result of a parasitic twin that partially attached to God Boy in the womb.
"This is similar to the way that conjoined twins form," Hackensack University Medical Center OB/GYN and Reproductive Science Chairman Dr Manny Alvarez told FOX News.
"With conjoined twins, you have two living fetuses that are attached either by the head, abdomen or legs. [With a parasitic twin] it's the same principle, except there is a malformation of one of those twins. As a result, the twin never fully develops and is then partially encased in the living fetus."
For many Indians, however, God Boy's condition is grounded in spirituality, not science.
"When we eventually saw a pic of the child it was a wonder," Chukka Roa, who travelled to Baruipur from a neighbouring village, told CEN.
"This is truly the son of the Hindu god Brahma, who also has four arms and four legs."
A police spokesman described the chaotic scene in the West Bengal city.
"The crowds are going berserk and clamouring to see the child," he said. "Hundreds are crying in the streets, hundreds of others are praying and setting up camp here.
"Some are even panicking and believe this is a sign of the end of the world. I have never seen anything like this in my whole career."
One of the child's family members said the hysteria is warranted.
"It is understandable that there is a lot of excitement about this," they insisted. "It is only natural that people want to see the God Baby."
