A baby girl has drowned after two robbers broke into a property and snatched her out of her mum’s arms and placed her in an inflatable pool while they tied her mum up to rob the house.

The incident took place in the rural parish of San Pedro de Suma in the canton of El Carmen in the Ecuadorian province of Manabi on the afternoon of Saturday, 20th November.

Angelica Murillo was bathing her nine-month-old daughter, Maria Guadalupe Lopez Murillo, in an inflatable pool on her patio when two men arrived outside her home on a motorbike.

They told her they were from a dog vaccination programme, to which the mum, age not divulged, replied she had no pets, according to local media outlets including El Diario.

However, the men then forced themselves into the property, snatching the baby from her mother’s arms and putting her in the pool while they took the mum inside.

Angelica handed them USD 1,000 (GBP 748), US dollars being the official currency of Ecuador. However, not satisfied, they reportedly tied the woman up and began to rummage around.

However, while they were looking for items and more cash to snatch, they reportedly fled after hearing a motorbike in the distance.

After the duo left, Angelica began to scream for help, and her cries were heard by her 12-year-old daughter, who was playing at a neighbour’s house, according to media outlet Infobae.

She returned home, where she found her baby sister floating in the pool, still according to Infobae. She reportedly untied her mother, who tried to revive the youngster, but to no avail.

As of Sunday, 21st November, the police were searching for the suspects, but had not yet been able to locate them.