A newborn baby boy was found abandoned in a toilet waste bin aboard a Gulf Air plane, after it landed at Manila International Airport, in the Philippines, on Sunday.

Cleaners for the airline's handling agents found the baby, covered in blood and wrapped in tissues, as they got the plane ready for its return to Bahrain.

"Our main priority is the welfare of the mother and baby," said a Gulf Air spokeswoman.

"The baby is doing well and after being taken to hospital for evaluation, he was declared fit and healthy and is now in the care of social services.

"We are currently working with the local authorities in the Philippines to help them locate his mother as soon as possible."

She said Gulf Air officials had decided to name the newborn after the company's initials.

"The baby has been named George Francis, after Gulf Air's airline codes 'GF' and Gulf Air staff in Manila have started a collection to buy him clothes and other essential items," she said.

Pictures showed the baby swathed in a towel, while medical staff warmed him under a light bulb. "After he was cleaned, he let off a soft cry," airport nurse Kate Calvo said.

"He was healthy, his vital signs were OK according to our doctors."

Social Welfare Secretary Dinky Soliman said she was angered by what happened, adding that police have been ordered to search for the infant's mother, who could be criminally charged.

She said the baby will be turned over to the mother's relatives or put up for adoption.

The Gulf Air official said an internal inquiry had also been launched.-TradeArabia News Service