Indonesian woman gives birth under torchlight during magnitude 7.7 earthquake | World News

Maria Florida Nogo Kelen gave birth by torchlight during Indonesia’s 7.7 earthquake, naming baby Gempita/Image: Reuters

A 39-year-old woman gave birth by emergency caesarean section under torchlight after a magnitude-7.7 earthquake cut power to a hospital in eastern Indonesia.Maria Florida Nogo Kelen was eight months pregnant when the earthquake struck East Nusa Tenggara on Saturday. Her complicated pregnancy meant delaying the delivery could have triggered a potentially fatal seizure.Doctors performed the surgery as aftershocks continued and parts of the hospital were damaged.“During the surgery, I was not afraid,” Kelen told Reuters. “I had to be healthy for my kids.”Her obstetrician, Yona Sara Pardede, said the medical team had little choice but to proceed despite the conditions.“As humans we were afraid. The surgery was difficult as she was a small baby. I ask God, please help us. We don’t even have a ventilator,” Pardede said.The baby girl was born weighing 1.3kg during the aftershocks. Her mother named her Gempita, derived from gempa, the Indonesian word for earthquake.The premature baby has remained stable in an incubator placed on grass inside a tent in Nagekeo. Kelen suffered a haemorrhage after giving birth but survived.“I was very grateful for the doctors, even when the room had collapsed, they did not abandon us,” she said.The earthquake caused widespread damage across the province. Medical teams have been treating patients in tents outside damaged hospitals, while rescuers have been searching buildings for people trapped beneath rubble.At least 995 aftershocks have been recorded since Saturday, although only 46 were felt. A magnitude-5.9 tremor struck on Monday.The earthquake hit shortly before 6 am at a depth of about 10km, with its epicentre around 68km northwest of Ende on Flores, according to the US Geological Survey.Tsunami warnings were issued after the quake but were later lifted after no significant sea-level changes were recorded.The disaster has killed at least 68 people, injured 135 and damaged more than 1,300 homes, including nearly 250 that were destroyed on Flores. About 5,000 people have moved into temporary shelters, while the provincial governor has declared a 14-day state of emergency.