Indonesian woman gives birth in mid-air

Jakarta - An Indonesian woman gave birth to a premature baby girl aboard an airplane with the help of flight attendants, reports said Monday.

The crew on the Merpati Nusantara flight knew what to do when Harmani, who was seven months pregnant, moaned in pain during the trip on Sunday from Timika in Papua province to Makassar in South Sulawesi, Detik.com news website reported.

Passengers applauded and cheered when the crew announced that the 33-year-old woman had delivered a healthy baby girl, it said. "Thank God the baby and the mother were healthy, thanks to the good work of the flight crew and a nursing student," flight attendant Sherly Juwita was quoted as saying by Detik.com.

"Passengers asked to have their pictures taken with the baby and the mother and proposed names for the girl," she said.

The plane was carrying 152 passengers, including two pregnant women.//DPA