PRAGUE - The first quintuplets were successfully born in a Prague maternity hospital shortly before 8:00 am (0600 GMT) on Sunday and the babies and their 23-year-old mother are in a good condition, said a doctor in the Prague-Podoli hospital.

The quintuplets who were naturally conceived are four boys and one girl, They are also the first quintuplets in the Czech Republic.

Podoli maternity hospital director Jaroslav Feyereisl returned from a congress in Dublin to Prague to assist in the delivery of the quintuplets. "We did our utmost to be prepared for possible complications," he said.

The hospital doubled all health care personnel on the shift, including the number of doctors in the operating theatre. The laboratories and services for a possible blood transfusion were also on alert, he added.