A Thai woman gave birth to a baby girl amid the chaos resulting from a strong 7.7-magnitude earthquake that hit Myanmar on Friday. The earthquake shook buildings up to Bangkok, and hospitals were compelled to evacuate patients to a safer place.
Kanthong Saenmuangshin, 36, was at the Police General Hospital in Thailand for a routine checkup when the quake struck. As the earthquake rocked the building, hospital workers made a mad dash to evacuate patients, including Kanthong, who unexpectedly entered labor.
A child was born, and surgery was performed in the open air following the evacuation of hospital buildings at Police General Hospital in Bangkok.#Thailand #Bangkok #แผ่นดินไหว #Earthquakes #Tremors pic.twitter.com/6x2q2C8aze
— Thai Enquirer (@ThaiEnquirer) March 28, 2025
Baby Born During Emergency Evacuation
As hospital staff led her down five flights of stairs during the emergency evacuation, her water broke. She was afraid that she would deliver on the staircase.
“I was telling my baby, don’t come out yet,” Kanthong remembered on Saturday. She was left on a hospital bed by the medical staff and gave birth on the rolling bed while undergoing evacuation procedures.
“It was all a shock to me too,” she said to Reuters.
During the time of her birth, her husband was in the workplace and could not come to the hospital in time to see the birth of their daughter.
A New Life in the Shakes
Despite the horrific experience, Kanthong felt secure when she gave birth successfully to her baby girl. The earthquake had stopped, and she couldn’t help but feel euphoric at seeing her baby for the first time.
The family has playfully nicknamed their newborn “Mink.” Although they are still undecided on a full name, they don’t intend naming her after the quake.
The unusual sight of new life amid Myanmar earthquake has drawn attention as a symbol of hope and resilience in the most unlikely of situations.
