Baby delivered at 2,250 feet

A dramatic mountain-top rescue resulted in a baby being delivered at an altitude of more than 2,000 feet in the Austrian Alps last Tuesday, the Euro Weekly News has heard.

A team comprising of 15 mountain rescue workers, a doctor and a gynaecologist scaled a mountain up to 2,350 feet in order to help a woman in labour.

The mother, who had been staying in a mountain lodge in the eastern Tyrol region of the Austrian Alps, went into labour prematurely at 24 weeks pregnant, at around 7am in the morning.

Due to extremely poor weather conditions, a rescue helicopter was unable to reach her, so the rescue team decided to go to the aid of the 30 year old mother-to-be on foot.

Once they had her stabilised, they started their descent, but had to stop a short while later as the baby was already on its way. She gave birth to a boy at around 6pm at 2,250 feet.

With improving weather, a helicopter was finally able to transport her to a clinic in Lienz, before moving her to a specialised neonatal unit in Villach.

A total of 25 rescue workers, together with four doctors and two helicopters were used in the operation. Speaking to the Kronen Zeitung newspaper, Gerhard Figl, who led the operation, said: “We are all physically exhausted.

“We have achieved something incredible and luckily there was a happy ending. We have saved two people’s lives.”