PALERMO: Two Eritrean babies born prematurely on the dangerous migrant voyage from Africa to Europe are being treated at a hospital in Palermo after being rescued at sea along with thousands of other migrants.
Antonia Zemp, a medical coordinator with Doctors Without Borders, which took part in the rescue on Monday, said the babies were only 5 days old when their mother boarded a boat with them in Libya, in a desperate bid to reach a better life in Europe.
Zemp said the babies were born at least a month early and that one suffered from hypothermia, hypoglycemia and difficulties eating.
The organization said the infants were evacuated to the hospital and put in intensive care. The mother, Tesfamamrim Merhawit, 26, was also recovering in the Palermo hospital.