The Discovery of an Abandoned Newborn on New Year’s Day
Just the next day, another abandoned newborn baby boy was found in a lavatory bin in an airplane bathroom by Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport customs officials during a routine check of the plane, just after the passengers had departed the plane. The Air Mauritius plane had been traveling from Antananarivo, which is the capital of Madagascar, to Port Louis in Mauritius. The discovery was made shortly after the plane landed on New Year’s Day. The baby boy was rushed to the public hospital for care and treatment.
Fortunately, officials were able to quickly identify the mother, who denied the abandoned newborn was hers. After a compulsory medical examination, officials confirmed the mother had just given birth, and the mother admitted the baby was hers. Both the mother and the baby were taken to a nearby hospital and have been under police surveillance. According to the hospital, both the mother and baby are doing well. The baby is now in the safety and care of social workers.
Upon release from the hospital, the 20-year-old mother from Madagascar was charged with abandonment of a newborn and arrested. The mother had been living in Mauritius and working on a 2-year work permit.
It is rare for babies to be born on a plane, but it does happen from time to time. In mid-2021, a baby was born on a Delta flight, and the mother had not even known she was pregnant. The previous year, another baby was born on a plane, and the newborn was gifted free flights for the rest of her life. In 2020, another newborn had been abandoned in the trash can in an airport lavatory in Australia.