The Nation newspaper reported an 18-year-old Thai gave birth in the passenger seat of a Mercedes Benz which was doing 85 miles per hour.

Juthamas Srimongkol was only seven months pregnant when she went into labor Wednesday. She was raced to the hospital in her father-in-law's vehicle, when she delivered her son 12 miles away from the hospital.

Mother-in-law Jimhaeng sae Iab, 47, leapt into the car's front seat when she heard a "splitting noise," but discovered she was too late.

"The baby had already come out. I held him and cleaned his body but could not cut his umbilical cord because we didn't have any equipment," she was quoted as saying.

Doctors reported both mother and baby, who weighed in at 1.8 kg (4 lb), were safe although they would be kept in hospital for around two weeks.