Baby born on LÉ ‘Niamh’ after Mediterranean rescue

A baby has been born on board the Naval Service's LÉ Niamh during an operation in the Mediterranean in which 14 pregnant women were rescued.

The women, including one in labour, were among 370 migrants that had left Libya for Italy.

The Defence Forces said that after being taken onto the Irish vessel one of the women gave birth to a girl. The child, delivered four weeks prematurely, has been named Destiny.

The girl was born 5.46 pm on Tuesday after 63 minutes on board, and was delivered by medics Paul O’Connell and Conor Kilbride. The rescue operation unfolded from 4pm on Monday some 90km north east of Tripoli.

Initially 265 migrants were taken from a wooden barge in the waters. The LÉ Niamh then took on a further 114 rescued migrants from the MV Dignity, a Médecins Sans Frontiéres vessel at 11.30pm on Monday.

It is deployed in the Mediterranean as part of the same international rescue operation as the LÉ Niamh aimed at preventing the drowning of thousands of migrants trying to sail from Libya to the EU via Italy.

Among the group transferred from the MV Dignity were 14 pregnant women, including Destiny's mother.

As the LÉ Niamh was making its way to Palermo one of the women went into labour this afternoon and gave birth to baby Destiny.

“At 6.18 pm two Italian doctors were embarked from an Italian Coast Guard vessel,” a Defence Forces spokesman said.

“Mother and baby were transferred to the same vessel at 8.30 pm and are doing well. The Coast Guard vessel will sail to the Port of Trapani, Sicily, so that mother and baby can receive post natal care as quickly as possible.”

Of the 256 migrants rescued from the barge on Monday afternoon, 235 were men, 13 women and eight minors.

The second 114-strong group taken from the MV Dignity on Monday night included 62 women, 45 men and seven minors.

The LÉ Niamh was last night transporting the 369 rescued migrants to Palermo and was expect to arrive at 7am this morning.