BEIJING • A mother in Fuzhou, in China's Fujian province, has placed her newborn daughter in several plastic bags, and tried sending her to an orphanage by courier.

The courier called the police on Wednesday morning after he saw the package move and heard the baby's cries, reported The Beijing News.

He reportedly said he wanted to check the inside of the package when he picked it up, but was told not to by the mother. He was on his way to deliver the package to Fuzhou Children's Welfare Institution when he discovered the baby.

The 24-year-old woman from Sichuan province, whose surname is Luo, has since been detained by the police for allegedly abandoning her baby, according to a police statement.

The baby girl was taken to Jinan District Hospital in Fuzhou.

Local media reported that a staff member confirmed that the hospital had received the girl, who was just a few days old and in a stable condition.

According to Chinese laws, anyone found guilty of abandoning their children can face up to five years' imprisonment.

The Beijing News posted a video on its website showing people crowding round the baby as they waited for the police and hospital staff to arrive.

Several of them were keeping the baby hydrated in the scorching weather by wiping her lips with bottled water. It was reported that she was covered in sweat due to the sweltering heat when first discovered.

The Beijing News had also earlier reported that the baby's parents had not arrived to claim their daughter after the hospital contacted the mother.

News of the incident has riled social media users, many of whom said the baby would be better off at an orphanage instead of being returned to her parents, who abandoned her in the first place.