She had probably been born "less than an hour ago."
A little girl was found alive this Thursday evening in the Newham district of east London, wrapped in a towel and placed in a shopping bag, London police revealed on Friday January 19, cited by the BBC.
The baby, named Elsa by rescuers, was found by a person walking their dog on Thursday around 9:15 p.m. local time, when temperatures were negative and had reached -6°C at the coldest of the day.
She had probably been alerted by crying.
The walker thus kept the little girl warm as much as possible while waiting for the emergency services, who then took over.
“We believe Elsa was less than an hour old when she was found.
We don’t know how long she had been out there,” Simon Crick, a member of the London police, said Friday afternoon at a press conference.
He also stressed that the action of the walker, who had protected the little girl in blankets while waiting for help, had probably “saved her life”.
Baby's mother called to contact police
During this press conference, London police indicated that the baby, “black or mixed race”, was not injured and was in good health.
However, investigators are “extremely concerned” about her mother’s state of health and are calling on her to contact the authorities as quickly as possible.
“Our thoughts now go to the baby’s mother.
We are extremely concerned for her health as she has been through a traumatic ordeal and will need immediate medical attention after giving birth,” said Chief Superintendent Simon Crick.
“Doctors and specialist officers are ready to help him and we strongly advise him to make contact by telephone or go to the nearest hospital or police station,” he added.
Anyone who can help identify the baby's mother is also asked to contact London police.
This is the third baby abandoned in the Newham area in less than five years, after a little girl was found in a park in February 2019 and a little boy on the street in January 2020.