Newborn baby stolen from German hospital

A newborn baby has been stolen from a hospital on the outskirts of Frankfurt, German police said today.

The baby was born in the clinic early this morning, but around noon a woman came into the mother's room and took the girl away, police said in a statement.

The 20-year-old mother thought the woman was taking the newborn for a medical examination - but she did not come back and left with the 7lb (3.2kg)) baby in a buggy, accompanied by another woman.

"About half an hour later the mother got nervous and asked a nurse what was happening to her baby - at which stage the search started," police spokesman Manfred von Hausen said.

He said a massive police operation was under way, with sniffer dogs and a police helicopter searching the area around the Hoechst hospital.