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A 27-YEAR-old woman from Chad went into labour while aboard an EgyptAir plane and was forced to give birth mid-way through the flight.
The EgyptAir flight was travelling from N’Djamena, the capital city of Chad, to Cairo when the pregnant Chadian passenger, Kultumah Mohammed, started experiencing pain.
The pilot was notified when Mohammed went into labour and the flight was quickly diverted. The hope was that the aircraft would land soon enough for Mohammed to receive proper medical attention during her delivery.
According to Tuko, the woman received help from another passenger identified as Laila Mohamed Abou Bakr, a medical student at the Faculty of Medicine at Kasr el-Ainy University in Cairo.
The publication added that the chief pilot’s instructions, together with the cabin crew’s help, ensured that all passengers’ safety procedures were followed and moved quickly to assist in delivery.
Mohammed reportedly gave birth while the plane was flying over Sudan.The cabin crew and the medical student helped her deliver her baby safely.
The chief pilot decided to land at Aswan airport to ensure that the mother and child received proper health care after the delivery.
When the plane landed Mohamed and her newborn were rushed to Aswan University Hospital for postpartum medical care, while the rest of the passengers continued their journey to Cairo.
This is not the first time such a spectacular phenomenon has happened. Last year, another EgyptAir flight MS777 from Cairo to London had to do an emergency landing when Yemeni passenger Hiyam Nasr Naji Daaban realised she was going into labour.
The pilot diverted the service to Munich, Germany, in hopes that Daaban could reach a hospital in time.
However, the prospective mother delivered a baby girl before the plane could land, with the help of a doctor who happened to be on board.
The baby was given free flights for life after her mother gave birth to her while still airborne.