Beijing police are searching for the mother of a newborn baby girl who was abandoned in a public toilet on Sunday.
According to reports in local media, witnesses heard crying coming from the bathroom in the Chinese capital’s Xicheng District. When police were called to investigate, they found the baby hidden inside the sewer of the squat toilet.
Speaking to People’s Daily, police officer Qian Feng said:
The baby’s head was upside down and the whole body had fallen into the sewer. I could vaguely see the baby’s feet from the side.
Qian was able to reach into the sewer and carefully pull the baby to safety. The girl was taken to a nearby Beijing hospital but, fortunately, she didn’t appear to be injured.
Video stills from the shocking incident show the moment the policeman rescued the girl. Police believe the newborn’s mother gave birth in the facility and then abandoned her.
Sadly, this isn’t an isolated incident – an estimated 10,000 unwanted children are reportedly abandoned in China every year. Although some are dropped off at “baby safety islands” and taken to orphanages, many others are left in public places such as toilets and train stations.
