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Afghan woman gives birth on evacuation plane

August 22, 2021

Soldiers helped an Afghan woman give birth to a baby girl after she went into labor on board an evacuation flight. Thousands of people fleeing Kabul have been landed at the US airbase in Ramstein, Germany.

https://p.dw.com/p/3zLu8
US Air Force medics assist Afghan woman who gave birth on board evacuation flight
An Afghan woman went into labor mid-air and eventually gave birth shortly after landing at Ramstein Air Base in GermanyImage: US AIR FORCE/AFP

An Afghan woman has given birth to a healthy baby girl on board an evacuation flight from Afghanistan. 

According to the US Air Forces Air Mobility command, swift action from the crew likely saved the life of the young mother and her baby girl.

Mid-air complications

In a series of tweets, the US Air Mobility Command said that during the flight from the Middle East, the woman went into labor and began having complications.

The aircraft commander decided to descend altitude to assist with air pressure, which ultimately helped stabilize and save the mother's life.

After landing at the Ramstein airbase in Germany, US Air Force medics helped the mother give birth in a cargo bay of the aircraft.

The mother and child were then taken to a nearby medical facility and are reported to be in good health.

Thousands of evacuees flown into Germany

Ramstein Air Base is the largest US air base outside of the United States.

It's also operating as the largest camp for thousands of evacuees in Germany, accommodating people in tents and hangars.

Evacuees will undergo medicals and a vetting process before a decision is made on where they will go next. Hundreds of air force personnel are assisting those who have managed to make it into Germany.

Afghan evacuees pictured on the tarmac at Ramstein Air Base in Germany
Ramstein Air Base has become the largest camp accommodating thousands of evacuees from AfghanistanImage: Senior Airman Jan K. Valle/U.S. Air Force/AP/picture alliance

Between Friday and Sunday morning, the US Air Force said it had managed to safely land nearly 5,000 evacuees from Afghanistan.

The Bundeswehr meanwhile said that by Sunday morning more than 2,100 people have been successfully been flown out of Kabul.

Thousands of foreign nationals and Afghans are trying to flee Kabul after the Taliban managed to capture the city a week ago.

kb/mm (epd, dpa)