Saturday, January 8 2005 15:37 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Port Blair: In the midst of deaths and devastations, a new life brought smile to an Onge couple as Rajni gave birth to an underweight baby in a distant jungle in Hut Bay, 11 days after killer tsunami wrought havoc in the entire group of Islands.

Defence rescuers spotted the couple with the three-day-old baby in lap during routine reconnaissance over the Island today (Jan 8, 2005) and brought them to Port Blair.

''We found the couple holding the small baby and waving," rescuers, who transported Rajni, her husband and the baby, by 'Chetak' copter to Port Blair with full care, told reporters.

Hut Bay was one of the worst-hit Islands during the December-26 tsunami strike.

The young mother and her baby were immediately admitted to the tribal ward of the State-run G B Pant hospital.

''The baby, weighing only 1.75 kg, has been given medical care and Rajni has been put on saline,'' doctors said.

Frail and impoverished Rajni, wearing a maxi, was looking at her baby in the attached cot, as her husband Madan was taking food in the ward.

The baby was yet to be named, Madan explained in his own way to the hospital staff.

The day after the December-26 disaster, Namita Roy gave birth to a baby in Hut Bay and preferred it to be named after the calamitous tidal wave 'Tsunami'.

Two more babies were born during evacuation from Nicobar to Port Blair by ship recently.