Kochi: An Odia woman gave birth to a baby girl onboard a train near Aluva in the early hours of Monday. Rachana Rana, a native of Baliguda of Kandhamal district in Odisha, went into labour as the Tatanagar-Ernakulam Express was approaching Aluva station around 4 am. 

Rachana, whose pregnancy was full-term, was travelling to Aluva along with her husband, Krishna Chandrarana, a migrant labourer. As the train stopped at Aluva, Rachana de-boarded with her newborn in her arms. The umbilical cord was still attached to the placenta.

Panicked, Krishna ran to the railway police and sought their help. The police helped the woman lie on a bench on platform one and immediately alerted the District Hospital in Aluva. A medical team from the hospital rushed to the railway station.

The woman and the child were shifted to the hospital after the nurses clamped and cut the umbilical cord, with the female cleaning staff on the platform arranging necessary cover using clothes. Hospital sources said the woman and the newborn were healthy and will likely be discharged on Tuesday.