A Nigerian woman miscarried a 24-week-old fetus and hid its body at a migrant shelter in Cagliari wrapped in a plastic bag, Sardinian police said on Thursday.
The 20-year-old woman asked for help from staff at the shelter, complaining of violent abdominal pains and major bleeding.
Quizzed by paramedics called to take her to hospital, the Nigerian told them she had miscarried her child and concealed its body.
Police were called and found the dead fetus hidden at the migrant centre, prompting them to open an investigation.
Shortly before her miscarriage, the Nigerian had arrived in Cagliari aboard a ship carrying migrants who had been rescued in the Strait of Sicily.
The woman told police she had been raped in Libya before she set sail for Italy.
Police were interviewing staff and the Nigerian's roommates at the migrant centre as part of their investigation.
Public prosecutors ordered an autopsy to be carried out on the fetus.
