A premature baby has come back from the dead ten hours after being sent to the morgue.

The Colombian baby girl, now named Milagros (Spanish for 'miracle'), was born at just twenty-seven weeks and delivered via emergency C-section.

However just thirty-five minutes after birth, and showing no signs of life, the tiny tot was declared clinically dead and transferred to the morgue.

It was only when the newborn's fisherman father arrived to collect her body, did morgue attendants hear faint cries and realise she was still alive.

Dr Javier Zagarra told Latin news site Semana it was possible the child's weak heartbeat was responsible for the false death declaration.

"In some cases the heart movements are not perceptible even though the newborn is alive, they can declare it dead," he said.

"When they wrap the baby in a sheet, upon receiving warmth, the baby can then revitalise," he added.

The little girl was immediately flown to the Santa Teresita del Niño Jesus clinic in the Colombian capital of Bogota where she is being treated in intensive care.

The infant's mother remains in Quibdo, where she is recovering from the birth.