A health union official said a gynaecologist, an anaesthetist and a nurse were being questioned over potential negligence.

Senegalese media say the heavily pregnant woman died after losing a lot of blood.

Her baby died as a result of injuries sustained during the operation.

The Senegalese Association of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians (ASGO) defended the medical team and criticised the arrests as "wrongful".

In a statement quoted by the AFP news agency, it said the team had taken "the appropriate decision" for the woman and her baby.

Last year President Macky Sall described Senegal's health system as obsolete and ordered a national review of neonatal services.

It followed a national outcry over the death of a woman in labour - in a case in which three Senegalese midwives who were involved were found guilty of not assisting someone in danger.