Chinese police have rescued a newborn baby who was stuck face down in a public toilet in Beijing.

The baby girl is in stable condition at a hospital in the capital.

The police station responsible for the rescue confirmed the story after it was reported by the Beijing Times, which said officers are trying to identify the girl's parents.

Unmarried Chinese mothers may abandon newborns because of social stigma associated with out-of-wedlock births. Sometimes parents discard children born with defects.

The newspaper said police went to the public toilet on Sunday after receiving a report of baby cries.

It said police saw the child's feet in the toilet pipe and that a policeman pulled her out.

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