An Eritrean woman gave birth to a girl on board a Dutch ship that rescued hundreds of migrants in the Mediterranean off the Greek coast, the Dutch defense ministry said Friday.
"Gelila born (Thursday) on board the frigate Van Amstel '. Her mother had been rescued on Wednesday night in a vessel in distress 80 miles (150 km) southwest of Greece, with 244 people on board" , said Karen Loos-Gelijns, spokesman for the Dutch royal navy.
The mother decided to call Gelila, meaning she says "ocean". "The girl is weak, but the mother and baby are doing well," said the ministry.
After being detected by an aircraft of the Italian maritime patrol, the Dutch frigate deployed by the Triton operation of the European agency Frontex border control, rescued on Wednesday night to 244 migrants.
Among the persons rescued, they included 181 men, 23 women, "a number of them" pregnant, and 40 children.