A newborn boy, only a few hours old, was found abandoned in a shoebox and wrapped in nothing but a towel, yesterday at around 3.30pm, in Guliermu Street, Cospicua.

The boy was rushed immediately to St Luke’s Hospital where he was given medical attention. His condition was last night reported to be stable.

The police immediately started their investigations into the matter and just four hours later issued a statement to say that the boy’s mother has been identified, without giving any more details.

It is understood that the boy’s mother, from Cospicua, was also taken to hospital for treatment.

The newborn was found by two teenagers who were walking in the street and heard a baby crying. They found a shoebox dumped on the pavement, with the baby in it, and alerted relatives who immediately contacted the police.

Police said that the baby was wrapped in a towel, which was stained with blood.

Duty magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera appointed several experts to help her in the inquiry.

This is not the first time that a baby has been abandoned in Malta. Some 15 years ago, a baby girl was abandoned at the airport while it has also happened that newborns are left outside children’s institutes.