Thursday, December 30 2004 15:08 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Port Blair: The miracle of life never ceases to astonish. A woman, being evacuated by a naval ship from Hut Bay in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, gave birth to a healthy baby girl.

According to the ship's doctor, the woman, rescued from Hut Bay following the devastation wrought by the killer tsunamis, felt labour pains first at 05:00hrs (IST) on board the ship yesterday (Dec 29, 2004).

"I took her down to my cabin where she gave birth to a healthy girl at 07:55 hrs (IST)," he said.

"This perhaps has never occurred before on a ship in such circumstances," he commented. Both mother and baby were 'fine', he said.