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MIRACLE MANGO TREE BIRTH: Amélia and baby Sara (Image: © UNICEF Mozambique/Rodriguez)

A WOMAN has given birth to a baby girl in a mango tree in Mozambique as flooding continues to cause havoc following Cyclone Idai.

Amélia had sought refuge from the floods in a tree with her two-year-old son when she went into labour.

"I was with my little two-year-old son, when suddenly, without warning, the water started to get inside my house, I had no option but to jump on top of a nearby mango tree. Then the pain started, and I had no one around to help me. In a few hours I gave birth to my baby girl Sara, on top of that mango tree. I was completely alone with Sara and my son,” she told Unicef.

Against the odds the family survived the ordeal and after two days they were rescued by neighbours. The trio are now staying in temporary, improvised accommodation near Dombe.

Despite her unusual and risky entry into the world, baby Sara is said to be doing fine.

“She is being breastfed constantly by her mother Amélia, who is receiving the solidarity and support from the other affected mothers in the accommodation center,” Unicef reported.

Around 1.9 million people are believed to have been affected by the devastation brought by Cyclone Idai, with 1 million of those being children.

Central Mozambique was badly hit by the cyclone that made landfall on March 14.

More than 700 people across Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe have died as a result of what experts have called the worst weather-related disaster to hit the southern hemisphere, and more than 1,000 people have been infected with cholera in its aftermath. One death from cholera has been confirmed in Beira, one of the worst hit areas.

The UK is providing £22 million in aid to support the survivors of Cyclone Idai, which includes £4 million of aid match money for the Disasters Emergency Committee’s appeal.

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