A baby girl was rescued after being found abandoned and covered in insect bites under a bridge.

The newborn was heard crying by locals who checked the canal under the bridge in Samut Prakan province, Thailand on May 14.

She was found soiled and covered in mosquito and ant bites while a pink and blue towel wrapped around her body.

The infant has now been taken to Bang Bo Hospital for a physical examination while officers search for the girl’s parents.

Nong Belle, a resident who helped care for the girl while police arrived, said: ‘I was sitting outside my house with three friends when we heard a baby crying. One of my friends argued that it could just be a cat and was afraid to come looking near the canal but I was sure that the sound was from a baby so we went to search.’

The baby appeared to have been lying on the ground for at least four hours as her body was already covered in her own feces.

The locals cleaned her up and called the police and came to investigate the scene before helping them take the baby to the hospital.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Charin Im-em said: ‘Officers will check the CCTV around the area to find the person who left her there, as well as find clues about the identity of her parents.’

The baby was found to be generally healthy and would be staying at the hospital until she was turned over to social services.