A newborn girl has miraculously survived being thrown from a bridge into a river inside a rucksack.

Eyewitnesses in Sao Lourenco da Mata, Brazil, told Military Police how a man on a motorbike threw a rucksack from Picopeba Bridge into the Capibaribe River on the morning of 17th November.

Two fishermen under the bridge saw the bag crashing into the river and heard a baby’s cries shortly afterwards.

And when they opened the rucksack, the astonished pair found a baby girl inside.

One of the fishermen, Arnaldo, told local media: “My colleague thought it was a dog. The bag started to move.

“I said that even if it were a dog, I would take it out of there because it was a defenceless animal.”

The second fisherman, Pedro, told local media: “He grabbed the rod, picked up the bag, and handed it to me. When I opened it, it was a child. I cried.”

They immediately called Military Police, who took the baby to Petronila Campos Maternity Hospital.

They said the infant had been born just hours earlier.

Health officials have since told local media that the girl’s condition is stable and that she has no apparent physical injuries.

But they also revealed that the newborn’s umbilical cord had apparently been cut unprofessionally.

The girl weighs 2.57 kilogrammes (5 lb 11 oz) and remains under observation in hospital.

She is expected to be handed to local Child Services tomorrow (19th November).

At the time of reporting, the biker remained at large.