Two-year-old girl found alive in suitcase stored under bus

A New Zealand toddler who was discovered stuffed inside a suitcase stored in a bus luggage compartment was found alive, local authorities have said.

The two-year-old girl was found by the vehicle's driver on Sunday (3 August) during a journey through Kaiwaka - around 60 miles north of Auckland.

While making a planned stop minutes earlier, a passenger on board asked the man for access to the luggage compartment.

After opening the doors to the space underneath the bus, the driver reportedly noticed movement inside one of the suitcases being stored.

The bag in question was immediately opened, and a child was discovered inside.

According to Detective Chief Simon Harrison, who subsequently spoke to press, the girl was found 'very hot, but otherwise appeared physically unharmed'.

The child was discovered underneath an InterCity bus (EyesWideOpen/Getty Images)

She was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital, where she remained throughout the day for an extensive medical assessment.

Harrison went on to confess that his team are still unsure how long the child had been stored in the suitcase.

He added, however, that a 27-year-old woman - yet to be named - has been arrested and charged with ill-treatment or neglect of the girl.

As per court documents obtained by local news outlet Stuff, the woman had been travelling from Whangārei to Auckland, and is accused of having placed the child in a closed suitcase in the bus stowaway.

Though her relationship to the child still remains unknown, the anonymous woman could still face further charges ahead of her appearance in North Shore District Court today (4 August).

Both New Zealand’s ministry for children, Oranga Tamariki, and the children's services, have been notified of the incident.

Oranga Tamariki, New Zealand’s ministry for children, has been notified (Lynn Grieveson - Newsroom via Getty Images)

Entrada Travel Group, the operating firm of New Zealand's national bus line InterCity, later confirmed to NBC that the child had been found inside one of its line of vehicles.

The travel group elaborated in an official statement: "Police were called to respond and are investigating the matter.

"No one was harmed during the incident, and the service resumed."

The InterCity bus driver that discovered the girl has since been praised by DC Harrison for having 'noticed something wasn't right and took immediate action, preventing what could have been a far worse outcome'.

According to the bus line's website, a child up to two years old can travel for free if seated on their guardian's lap. Any child over the age of three must travel with a ticket.