A NIGERIAN mother has given birth to a baby at sea in a sinking dinghy in the Mediterranean just off the coast of Italy as she was among hundreds of migrants trying to make their way to Europe.
Thousands of Nigerians are among migrants seeking a better life in Europe and many of them have been known to perish trying to make the journey. Earlier this week, a Nigerian mother and her newborn baby were nearly another of the casualties but fortunately for her, the Italian coastguard was on hand to rescue them.
Apparently, the mother woman had been attempting to cross the sea between North Africa and Italy on a rickety dinghy with around 100 other migrants and refugees when it began to deflate. After being rescued by the Italian coast guard, the woman went into labour as the boat was on its way to the island of Lampedusa.
After giving birth, the woman was helped off the boat and a coast guard carried her baby in a blue blanket. Both mother and baby were in hospital doing well at the moment, although it is not yet certain what will happen to them.
So far this year, up to 300,000 refugees and migrants who have crossed the Mediterranean into Europe, up from 219,000 in the whole of 2014. Tragically, 2,760 people have died this year in their attempt to make it across the sea into Europe from the Middle East, Asia and Africa.
Yesterday, the United Nations urged Europe to guarantee the relocation for Syrian refugees, as record numbers flee to Macedonia and Greece. A record 7,000 Syrian refugees arrived in the former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia on Monday, while some 30,000 are on Greek islands, including 20,000 on Lesbos.
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