ATHENS, Greece - A 20-year-old British tourist was arrested at a Greek resort Monday after she gave birth alone in her hotel room to a boy who was later found dead, authorities said.
The woman told hospital officials she had suffered a miscarriage. But police on the island of Crete detained the woman in hospital on suspicion of homicide after a coroner said the baby had been born alive. She has not been formally charged.
The incident occurred early Monday at Malia, a resort popular with British tourists.
State coroner Manolis Michalodimitrakis said a preliminary examination of the baby suggested it had been born alive, although he has not issued a formal autopsy report.
"After the birth, the baby was breathing for a period of time," Michalodimitrakis told state-run NET television. "The baby was found wrapped in a bundle of clothes."
He said the baby's umbilical cord had not been cut.
Yiannis Maliotakis, director of the Iraklio University General Hospital, said the woman was in stable condition after suffering extensive bleeding. He said the woman told hospital officials her baby had died during a miscarriage.
The woman was on vacation in Crete with her sister and a female friend.
Her companions discovered and reported the incident, police said. They later told police the three had been out at a local bar in Malia and that the 20-year-old woman had returned to her hotel room alone after saying she did not feel well.
Britain's foreign office said the woman was being assisted by its embassy in Greece.- AP