An unexpected passenger joined a flight in Somalia after a baby boy was born mid-air, Jubba Airways has confirmed to the BBC.

The flight was travelling from Hargeisa, the capital of the self-declared republic of Somaliland, to Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, on Saturday, the Dubai-based airline said.

The woman, who was seven-months pregnant, started to feel contractions shortly after take-off, according to fellow passenger Kamil Abdiaziz - who also happens to be a Jubba Airways employee.

Mr Abdiaziz noticed the woman’s distress and immediately alerted the cabin crew, according to the Somali news website Hiiran.com.

Thanks to the quick actions of the cabin crew and trained paramedics on board, the baby was delivered at 32,000ft.

Hiiran.com has pictures of the new-born baby, who has been named Kamil, after the man who helped his mother.

An ambulance took the mother and the baby to hospital after the plane landed safely in Mogadishu.