An eight-month-old baby is recovering in hospital after having both her hands chopped off by her grandmother, The Daily Mail reported.

The incident took place when the grandmother was caring for the little girl while her parents were at work in the Shandong Province of China.

The grandmother's motives are not yet known as she remains in a coma since the incident, after she attempted to kill herself.

A neighbour, who saw the aftermath of the incident and accompanied the mother and child to hospital, said:

“I saw the woman came back home after work in the early afternoon but only 10 minutes later she dashed down holding her baby, who was covered with blood.”

It is not yet known whether the girl's hands can be saved after doctors carried out a 12 hour operation to attempt to re-attach them.

If the operation is successful, it is likely the eight-month-old will need further procedures to restore full function.