Colombians in baby mix-up trauma

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Two Colombian men exchanged by mistake at birth have described their feelings after a DNA test confirmed they had been raised by the wrong families.

Carlos Estor and Rancis Puello, 29, went on to live in very different backgrounds after a Cartagena hospital gave them to the wrong parents.

The mix-up was uncovered by a mutual friend of both mothers, who looked into the doubts they had confided to her.

The families say they are suing the hospital for incalculable moral damage.

Following the switch, Mr Estor grew up in an affluent neighbourhood in Cartagena, while Mr Puello was sent to a poor area.

Speaking of the mix-up, Mr Puello said it was not easy to describe his feelings, "to experience what I've been living through".

"I felt rage," he told RCN radio, describing the error as "inexplicable".

Friends

The mistake is said to have occurred hours after the births in the Bocagrande hospital in October 1977.

The first indication came when one of the mothers realised the baby she had taken home had not been circumcised, according to Spanish news agency Efe.

The hospital had confirmed her son had had the procedure shortly after birth, it said.

A friend of the mother's reportedly investigated the doubt nearly 30 years later - and recommended a DNA test.

The two boys have met and become friends and have also bonded with their genetic families, the agency said.