Baby born 36,000 feet over Africa

FRESNO, Calif., April 5 (UPI) -- A plane en route from Nigeria to California was diverted to Senegal when a woman gave birth to a baby about 36,000 feet above Africa.

Greg Idoni, 38, of Fresno, Calif., said his fiancee, Katherine Oyedoh, 28, was cleared to fly from her home in Nigeria to California March 23 so the couple could be together for the expected April 15 birth of their child, The Fresno Bee reported Thursday.

However, Idoni said Oyedoh's water broke about a half hour into the Delta Airlines flight, and flight attendant Susan Carnes said she noticed about 3 hours into the flight that Oyedoh was giving birth and there would not be time to land the plane before the birth.

Oyedoh gave birth to baby boy Ebosalume Idoni with the help of an obstetrician and two nurses who were aboard the plane and the flight was diverted to Dakar, Senegal, where the mother and infant received medical treatment.

Idoni said the mother and baby are scheduled to arrive in Los Angeles Saturday. Idoni, a naturalized U.S. citizen, said his baby is a U.S. citizen by default and Oyedoh plans to obtain U.S. citizenship after they are married.