Indonesian mother 'grateful' after emergency birth during 7.7 quake

Maria Florida Nogo Kelen, 39, gave birth to her daughter by emergency caesarean section on Saturday as a 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara province.

Doctors used flashlights to operate during power outages as the hospital shook. The quake, the country's deadliest since 2022, has killed 54 people so far.

What happened to the Indonesian mother during the earthquake?

Maria was undergoing emergency surgery in Nagekeo, near the quake's epicenter, when the 7.7 magnitude tremor struck. Doctors said a delay could have caused her a fatal seizure, given her high-risk pregnancy.

Despite the shaking hospital and intermittent power outages, surgeons safely delivered her daughter, born two months premature.

Why did Maria need an emergency caesarean?

Maria's delivery came two months ahead of schedule due to a complicated pregnancy that posed risks for both mother and child. Doctors said the surgery could not wait, even as the hospital building shook around them.

"During the surgery, I was not afraid," Maria, who lives in the region of Nagekeo, close to the quake's epicentre, said. "I had to be healthy for my kids."

Her obstetrician, Yona Sara Pardede, described the conditions inside the operating room. "We had no choice," Pardede said. "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 was born weighing just 1.3 kilograms (2.87 lbs) and was named Gempita, after the Indonesian word for earthquake, Gempa.

How deadly was Indonesia's 7.7 magnitude earthquake?

Saturday's disaster is the country's deadliest since a 2022 quake killed hundreds in West Java. It has so far killed 54 people across East Nusa Tenggara province. The quake damaged hundreds of hospitals and homes, forcing many medical professionals in Indonesia's southernmost province to treat patients in tents outside.

On Monday, rescuers scoured the area for people feared trapped under rubble, while authorities sent aid to the region by plane. Residents sheltering in evacuation tents said they needed clean water and food. Most were too afraid to return home because of aftershocks.

How is baby Gempita doing after the earthquake?

Gempita, born during aftershocks, remained stable in an incubator placed on a patch of grass in a tent outdoors as the sun beat down on Nagekeo. Maria, who suffered a haemorrhage after the birth, said she was grateful to still be alive.

"I was very grateful for the doctors, even when the room had collapsed, they did not abandon us," she said.