An Afghan man has been arrested for stabbing a pregnant woman and killing her unborn baby in a hospital in Germany.

The 25-year-old man was visiting the woman, a 25-year-old Polish national, in a hospital in Bad Kreuznach, a town in the south-western German state of Rhineland-Palatinate.

The mother-to-be and the man, who is in the process of applying for asylum in Germany, got into a 'violent argument', during which he pulled out a knife and began stabbing her several times.

Attack: The Afghan man, 25, was visiting the pregnant Polish woman, also 25, at a hospital in Bad Kreuznach, Germany, when the pair got into a 'violent argument' saw him stab her

The woman suffered severe injuries and required emergency surgery, but is currently in a stable condition.

Her unborn child, however, did not survive the violent attack.

A short while after the stabbing, the Afghan suspect reported himself to the police at the local train station.

He has been locked up in investigative custody on suspicion of attempted murder and grievous bodily harm.

Tragedy: The woman underwent emergency surgery and is now in a stable condition, however, her unborn baby did not survive the violent attack

It is not yet clear what the exact relationship is between the Polish victim and the Afghan suspect.

A police spokesperson said: 'As already reported, a physical altercation between a patient and a visitor came on 11th January 2019 around 6pm, in a hospital in Bad Kreuznach.

'During the visit, the 25-year-old Afghan asylum seeker stabbed the pregnant woman several times.'

The Bad Kreuznach public prosecutor's office is currently investigating the stabbing in cooperation with the criminal investigation department of the police in Mainz, the capital of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate.

According to the police, nothing is yet known about a possible motive for the crime.