Nigerian woman amongst rescued immigrants gives birth on one of the boats [PHOTOS]

Over the weekend and on Monday, about 7,000 illegal immigrants were rescued from overcrowded boats crossing the Mediterranean into Italy. One of the migrants was a pregnant Nigerian woman. The woman went into labour while being rescued from a boat and gave birth to a baby girl. The baby has been named Francesca Marina as a tribute to the Italian Navy (Marina Militare). 

Crew from the Italian navy ship Bettica found the Nigerian woman in labour on a boat – one of 34 vessels intercepted over the weekend. This photo above (left) released by the Italian navy shows the baby girl sleeping in a makeshift cradle decorated with a pink bow.

Numbers risking the journey in search of a better life have continued to rise two weeks after as many as 900 people drowned in the worst Mediterranean shipwreck in living memory.