A refugee woman gave birth to a child on board an Irish naval vessel in the Mediterranean last night.
The woman had been rescued along with over 700 other people from a number of boats off the coast of Libya yesterday afternoon, the Independent reports.
The child was delivered safely on board the LÉ Eithne by the Defence Forces medics and both mother and baby are said to be doing well.
The naval vessel is now headed for Catania in Sicily, where Italian authorities are expected to take over the handling of the refugees.
The LÉ Eithne, the flagship of the Irish Naval Service, has spent each summer since 2015 in the Mediterranean, with members of the Defence Forces working to rescue stranded refugees attempting to flee humanitarian conflicts in North Africa.
It departed from Haulbowline in Cork last month with a crew of 72 on board.
