Austrian police have said that a newborn baby died yesterday after being abandoned by its mother in a toilet bin at Vienna airport.
A cleaner found the baby inside a plastic bag in the early hours of yesterday morning after hearing its cries. A police spokesman said that the emergency services rushed the infant to hospital but sadly the infant died shortly afterward due to a prolonged lack of oxygen.
Viennese authorities were able to locate the child's mother, who is now receiving medical care. Police have said that the 27-year-old Nigerian, who is not being identified in line with Austrian anonymity laws, was travelling through Vienna at the time.
Abandoning a child in the European Union is a punishable crime that can lead to a prison sentence, but many countries treat such crimes sympathetically if the baby is given up for economic reasons or left in a safe place.
A truly sad story for all involved.
