Rosita Pedro was born in a tree above Mozambique's swirling floodwaters yesterday and minutes later, with her umbilical cord still attached, was winched to safety by a South African helicopter crew.
Her mother, 26-year-old Sofia Pedro, torn by labour pains as she clutched the branches where she had sought refuge, was exhausted and near the end when rescuers discovered her precarious perch.
An airforce medic was lowered on to the tree to help the mother give birth and cut the umbilical cord. "We spotted her just in time," said the man, who gave his name only as Godfrey. "We then hoisted mother and child on to the helicopter. The crew provided a blanket to wrap the infant and return Rosita to her mother. They are both doing well."
Ms Pedro had climbed the tree on Sunday to escape the surging waters. Late yesterday, shocked and exhausted after her three-day ordeal, she was resting with her daughter in a refugee camp on high ground, knowing that she was one of the very few to be rescued from the flood-ravaged interior of Mozambique yesterday.
She could only muster the energy to tell reporters: "I'm so happy."