A newborn died seconds after birth when doctors failed to catch him when his mum pushed him out in a hospital in the city of Gualeguaychu, northeast Argentina.

The tragic incident happened on Thursday afternoon at the Sanatorio Pronto clinic.

The child’s mother had been reportedly told to push, but he came out to fast and fell headfirst onto the floor before medics were able to grab him.

The child was transferred to the specialist San Roque Hospital in the nearby city of Parana but was pronounced dead before arrival.

Speaking to a local newspaper, the 29-old grieving father, Claudio Mondragon, said he had witnessed the tragedy as his wife Stefania gave birth to their son Valentino.

“My wife was in labour and was just about to have the baby and they asked her to push and she pushed so he would come out,” he said.

“He came out really fast and no-one grabbed him and he fell to the floor.

“The midwife didn’t have time to catch him and the obstetrician didn’t react.

“The only thing they did was lift him up from the floor and put him in an incubator and take him to another hospital.”

An investigation, led by a local state prosecutor, will determine whether Valentino’s death was the result of medical negligence and whether anyone should face criminal charges.

Valentino, who was born at 37 weeks, has already been buried in a cemetery in the town of Urdinarrain, near Gualeguaychu, where his parents are from.

A preliminary autopsy reportedly concluded that he died from a head injury consistent with a fall.