Afghan refugee gives birth on US evacuation plane

Medical support personnel help an Afghan mother off a US Air Force C-17, moments after she delivered a child aboard the aircraft upon landing at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, on Aug 21, 2021. PHOTO: US AIR MOBILITY COMMAND/TWITTER

WASHINGTON (REUTERS) - An Afghan woman gave birth on board a US evacuation plane on Saturday (Aug 21), moments after landing at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, the US Air Force said.

The woman delivered a baby girl in the cargo bay of an Air Force C-17 aircraft after going into labour and experiencing complications during the flight, US Air Mobility Command said on Twitter.

"The aircraft commander decided to descend in altitude to increase air pressure in the aircraft, which helped stabilise and save the mother's life," the tweet said.

The woman was part of a group fleeing the Taleban in Afghanistan and was on the second stage of an evacuation flight that had taken off from a base in the Middle East.

The mother and baby were transported to a medical facility and were in good condition, the tweet said.

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