Afghan woman gives birth on evacuation plane
August 22, 2021An 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.
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)