Baby born on migrant rescue ship in Mediterranean

ROME: A pregnant woman fleeing Libya gave birth to a baby boy on Wednesday onboard the charity ship that rescued her and dozens of others in the central Mediterranean, the charity said.

“Despite the joyful event, her conditions are now critical, and she needs immediate specialised medical care,” said Doctors Without Borders (MSF), which operates the Geo Barents ship. “For this reason, we are requesting the Maltese and Italian authorities to arrange an urgent medical evacuation for her and for her four sons,” with the older three also travelling with her, it said.

They were among 90 people rescued on Tuesday morning from what MSF called “an overcrowded and unstable rubber boat”, which it said had left Libya the night before. Another pregnant woman was also on board, and remains on the Geo Barents, among a total of 255 migrants rescued by MSF in the previous days.