German police say a 22-year-old woman is in custody after they found a case in her apartment which had a living baby girl inside along with the skeleton of a second infant.

Hannover police said a 19-year-old man living with the woman in the northern city discovered the case on Thursday and reported it to police.

The living baby was reported to be in stable condition at a local hospital.

The woman, whose name was not released in line with German privacy laws, was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and attempted manslaughter.

A post-mortem examination is being conducted on the remains of the second child to determine a cause of death.