In what is being called one of Britain's highest multiple births, a woman gave birth to six babies within five minutes yesterday.

The sextuplets after being were delivered by Caesarean section at the Royal Hospital in Belfast this morning and are in intensive care.

The mother Nuala Conway, of Cookstown, Co Tyrone, apparently conceived these babies naturally, without the aid of IVF treatment. The four girls and two boys weighed between 1lb 7oz and 2lb 2oz at birth.

Thirty medical staff-members aided the delivery on Friday morning. Clifford Mayes, the neonatal consultant who led the team, said, "This is both a happy time and a potentially difficult time."

"We have planned very carefully for today and today went as well as we had hoped it would."

Prof Neil Marlow, Secretary of the British Association of Perinatal Medicine, was of opinion that the chances of survival for the babies would be around 90 per cent and it would depend on how healthy they are and how much ventilation they need for respiratory help.