Colombian is worlds shortest man at 70cm

Edward Nino Hernandez, a 24-year-old Colombian male measuring 70 centimeters, has been certified as the world's shortest living man by Guinness World Records, the Associated Press reported Monday.

He is slightly taller than a piece of carry-on luggage and weighs just 10 kilograms, the report said.

“He hasn't grown since he was two years old,'' his mother, Noemi Hernandez, said of the oldest of her five living children, according to the report.

The previous titleholder was He Pingping of China, who was 4 centimeters taller and died March 13. The Guinness people discovered Nino afterward.

They say Nino's reign is not likely to last long, however.

Khagendra Thapa Magar of Nepal is expected to take over after he turns 18 on Oct. 14, AP said. He measures about 56 centimeters and is currently recognized by Guinness as the shortest living teen.

His mother, Noemi Hernandez, 43, was quoted as saying that Nino weighed just 1.5 kilograms at birth and was 38 centimeters long.

The couple's youngest child, 11-year-old Miguel Angel, stands 93 centimeters tall and has facial features similar to Nino, the report said. The other three boys are of normal height and appearance.