An elderly man has found a baby buried alive in a rooftop garden in Singapore.

Retiree Tay Kim Sia, 60, heard the soft cries while smoking on the garden above a multi-storey carpark .

Originally he thought it sounded like a cat but then saw a foot sticking out the soil.

His friend told him it was probably a battery operated toy but when he investigated further, he was shocked to find a newborn baby boy buried in a shallow grave in a garden bed.

According to The Strait Times, the baby had a garbage bag twisted around his neck. His mouth was stuffed with mud and leaves and the umbilical cord was still attached.

Mr Tay took the baby to his local Senior Citizens Centre where he and other retirees washed the baby before passing him onto a local hospital.