A Kenyan mother who gave birth to extremely rare naturally-conceived quintuplets has lost all five babies, according to a hospital in the south-west of the country.

The mother, Jacintah Akinyi, 30 – who did not know she was carrying five babies – went into labour on Sunday and gave birth to two babies at home, who both died, before being transferred to the Kisii Teaching and Referral hospital.

Nurse Manager Florence Ogero said a third baby died that night, due to being underweight and suffering a condition caused by low levels of blood platelets.

“The other one had severe pneumonia and from all those birth-related complications, these babies have succumbed,” she told AFP.

“It was a premature delivery and the mother did not attend an antenatal clinic. The multiple deliveries were diagnosed upon delivery so there was no anticipation,” she added.

“We have tried our level best because they were being taken care of by a competent team.”

Akinyi is already the mother of four children and lost a fifth in an earlier pregnancy.

There is a one in 60 million chance of a mother falling pregnant with five children without hormone treatment, experts say.