Woman gives birth in helicopter

Islamabad: A woman gave birth in an army helicopter while being rescued from a flood-hit area in Pakistan's central Punjab province, officials said today.  An army team mounted a rescue operation after receiving information yesterday that a man named Mohammad Javed and his pregnant wife Zahida Parveen were stranded in a flooded area in Punjab.  Soon after the army airlifted Javed, his wife and their child, Zahida Parveen gave birth in the helicopter while it was on its way to Multan.  Parveen and her baby were taken to the Combined Military Hospital Multan and all medical facilities were being provided to them, officials said.

In another incidence, also on Monday, the Pakistani army rescued a mother in Sonawa village who had given birth to twin babies without the help of a doctor. The woman's health was in critical condition and she and the babies were taken to Multan in a helicopter to receive care.

The Pakistan Army's aviation wing has been at the forefront of rescue and relief efforts in areas affected by the country's worst floods in 80 years.  Army helicopters have rescued hundreds of people in flood-hit areas of Punjab, Sindh and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa provinces.  The army helicopters are engaged in relief operations to provide food and other supplies to around 100,000 people daily.

The death toll in the Pakistan floods is estimated to be 1600.