Mother Delivers Baby by Flashlight as 7.7 Quake Shakes Indonesian Hospital
A 39-year-old Indonesian mother delivered her daughter by flashlight during a 7.7 earthquake that has killed 54 people in East Nusa Tenggara.
As a powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake tore through eastern Indonesia, a 39-year-old mother underwent emergency surgery to deliver her fourth child while the hospital shook around her.
Maria Florida Nogo Kelen, who lives in the Nagekeo region near the quake's epicentre, went into labour two months early due to a complicated pregnancy. Doctors said delaying the birth could have triggered a fatal seizure for Maria.
With power outages interrupting the procedure, medical staff used flashlights to operate as the building trembled. "During the surgery, I was not afraid," Maria said. "I had to be healthy for my kids."
Her obstetrician, Yona Sara Pardede, described the tense 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."
Maria's daughter, born at just 1.3 kilograms, was named Gempita — derived from the Indonesian word for earthquake, 'Gempa.' The baby remains stable in an incubator placed on grass in an outdoor tent as aftershocks continue.
Maria, who suffered a haemorrhage after the birth, expressed gratitude for the medical team. "I was very grateful for the doctors, even when the room had collapsed, they did not abandon us," she said.
The earthquake, the country's deadliest since a 2022 disaster in West Java, has killed at least 54 people across East Nusa Tenggara province. Hundreds of hospitals and homes were damaged, forcing medical professionals to treat the injured in tents outdoors.
Rescuers on Monday continued searching for people feared trapped under rubble, with aid being delivered by plane. Many residents remain in evacuation shelters, afraid to return home due to the risk of further tremors, and are requesting clean water and food.