The child is believed to have been born early Monday morning, but wasn’t found until Tuesday evening.
A newborn baby somehow survived an overnight stay underground after allegedly being packed in a suitcase and buried alive by her mother.
The woman is believed by police to have given birth to the baby girl in the early hours of Monday morning in Tsomo, a town in Eastern Cape, South Africa.
Per reports, police say she put the newborn in a suitcase and buried her in a yard.
On Tuesday at around 4pm, police were contacted by someone who was suspicious of the fact that the woman was no longer pregnant, but there was no sign of a newborn child.
A police spokesperson told South African media outlet News24 that police went to the yard and discovered a shallow grave.
The spokeswoman said that after digging at the grave, police found the baby wrapped in blankets in the suitcase.
Miraculously still alive, the newborn was taken to hospital.
The spokeswoman added that the infant’s mother was arrested but was also taken to be treated at a hospital, where she is currently under police supervision.
An investigation into the incident is now underway.
