German Officials Help Deliver A Baby Born On A Migrant Rescue Ship

Without Migrant Rescue Missions This Baby Wouldn't Have Been Born Safely

A child has been born on a German navy ship, after her mother was rescued from a migrant boat in the Mediterranean Sea.

33-year-old Rahma gave birth on the war vessel Schleswig-Holstein. It was the first birth on board a German navy ship since it was founded.

She was traveling alone at the end of a five-month journey and was part an operation over the weekend which saw Germany save 4,000 refugees.

Sophia was born on a German navy ship

There were no complications during the birth and the baby girl, Sophia, was born a healthy 6.5 pounds.

An official at the scene said: "We knew that the pregnant woman was weakened by the very long and stressful journey from Somalia.

"The night before we already treated her, however one must say that it all went very quickly and thankfully for all involved, without any complications."

The new mother was first picked up by the British navy before being transferred to the German vessel and taken to a hospital for checks after the ship docked in Taranto, southern Italy.

The birth is symbolic and is a poignant message at a time when the European Union is struggling to manage the tide of migrants fleeing war and poverty.

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