‘Miracle baby’ born in a tree above Mozambique floodwaters dies aged 25

Her sister told the BBC that she was considered a “miracle baby” when she was born on the tree her mother climbed to escape the flood, but about 26 years later in Mozambique, Rosita Salvador Mabuiango died after a long illness.

The image of a newborn baby and his mother being whisked to safety by helicopter amid flooded land has become a defining image of Mozambique’s worst-ever 2000 floods.

Describing the life of Rosita, also known as Rosita Pedro, President Daniel Chapo called her a symbol of girls in the country.

In February 2000, hundreds of people died and hundreds of thousands were displaced from their homes as a result of the flooding of the Limpopo River in southern Mozambique.

Rosita’s mother, Carolina Cecilia Chirindza, was also one of those caught in the crisis.

“It was around four o’clock on a Sunday afternoon and the water started to rise,” the Red Cross said of what happened that February in late 2000.

“The water was coming towards the house and it was getting stronger, so we headed towards the trees, like everyone else in the village.

“I tried to climb with my two little children on my back. It was very difficult.

“There were 15 of us and we were there for 4 days. We prayed and prayed.

“We had nothing to eat and the children cried and cried but we couldn’t do anything for them.”

Early Wednesday morning, Carolina went into labor, and soon after she and her newborn were spotted by a South African military helicopter assisting with rescue operations.

The Guardian newspaper later reported that while Carolina was giving birth, her mother-in-law held a capulana (sarong) underneath her to ensure the baby did not fall into the floodwater. According to reports, Rosita was still attached to her mother with an umbilical cord when they were found.

Carolina later said: “I think my baby is different from other babies because he was born on a tree and it was God’s will that he live and get through this.”

The pair became symbols of the aftermath of the disaster, and in late 2000 they traveled to the United States to speak to Congress and help raise awareness of what was happening.

Confirming the news of Rosita’s death at the age of 25 on Monday, her sister Celia Salvador told the BBC that “she passed away after a long illness. I am extremely sorry. She died of an illness that I cannot explain what it was.”

According to other family sources, Rosita had been struggling with the blood disorder anemia for years. He remained hospitalized for more than two weeks as his condition deteriorated and he eventually died on Monday morning.

Rosita’s mother also told a local television station that she suffers from tuberculosis as well as anemia.

“Oh my God. Very bad news. My condolences to the bereaved family,” the president told the BBC.

“She was the symbol of girls in Mozambique. Therefore, I offer my condolences to all Mozambican people, especially Mozambican girls.”

Rosita grew up with her family and graduated from high school in the same rural area where she was born, Chibuto. Five years ago he also had a daughter.

After high school, Rosita was unable to get a scholarship to study petrochemical engineering, despite the government promising to fund her education from primary school to higher education, her family said.

Political analyst Charles Mangwiro called her death “a wake-up call for the government to improve service delivery across the entire healthcare system in the country.”

“You can’t expect to survive when healthcare workers are complaining every day about months of unpaid wages and lack of basic necessities like protective equipment and antibiotics.”

Despite the hiring of more healthcare workers in recent years, analysts continue to describe a healthcare system overstretched by shortages of essential medicines and equipment.

Mayor of Chibuto, Henriques Machava, told the press that discussions were ongoing with the family to formalize the funeral arrangements and, in his opinion, this would be handled by the municipality.