Neighbours discovered a crying baby girl abandoned in a forest and quickly worked together to clean and care for her.

The group of mothers heard faint cries while walking home from the market and decided to investigate a nearby patch of grass in Laguna, the Philippines.

Footage shows one of the women holding the infant, who still had her umbilical cord attached, moments after they found the newborn lying alone on the ground on July 23.

She smiled at her companions and assured them the baby was alive and well before gently cleaning the mud off the child's back.

The Good Samaritans prepared a warm bath in a basin and helped each other tend to her while waiting for a police vehicle to arrive and transport her to a hospital.

Local official Kevin Pamatmat said: 'The baby was cold because it had been raining. She was pale when the people found her.'

The girl was examined by doctors and is now under care at the local hospital while police investigate the incident.

Liliw Municipal Police Chief Major Ajalino Balaoro said: 'It happened at around 9:30 am. We are still looking for her parents and the individual who abandoned her in the forest.'

In the Philippines, abandoning a minor under seven years of age is punishable by imprisonment of up to six months and a fine of 100,000 PHP (1,301 GBP). If the abandonment results in the death of the child, the penalty increases to imprisonment of up to six years.

(1 PHP=0.013 GBP)