Baby abandoned in egg box in -20C temperatures in Siberia ‘doing well’

Newborn survived bitter cold

Medics say the baby was two or three days old (Getty Images)

A baby has been rescued after being abandoned in an egg box in temperatures as low as -20C in remote Siberia.

Five teenagers discovered the newborn girl in the snow near the village of Sosnovka outside Novosibirsk, local reports say.

One of the teenagers’ parents rushed the child to hospital, where she was declared fit and well.

The baby could now be adopted by the parents of one of the boys who found her on Friday.

Police searching for the mother have opened a criminal investigation into the attempted murder of a minor.

One of the teenagers, Renat Litvinov, 16, described hearing “a squeaking sound” and spotting the cardboard box designed to store eggs while out for a walk with friends.

They initially thought there were puppies inside, but were astonished to find the newborn laying “like a little doll”, wrapped in a cloth with a bottle next to her.

“We were so stunned we didn’t even know for some seconds what to do,” he said.

He called his parents, who drove the girl to hospital. Doctors warmed her by gently rubbing her arms and legs. She avoided frostbite despite the bitter cold, a statement by the regional health ministry said.

Medics say the baby was two or three days old, and had likely been born at home and abandoned by the mother.

She has been transferred to a children’s hospital where she is now being cared for.

Renat’s parents are waiting to hear if they can adopt the baby.

The couple, who already have three sons, must first wait to hear whether the child’s relatives can be found.