MOSCOW, April 3 (RIA Novosti) - A Russian plane en route to Moscow was forced to make an emergency landing in Volgograd, southern Russia, after a baby fell seriously ill, an airport spokesman said on Friday.

The condition of the six-month old girl, who was being flown from Russia's southern city of Nalchik to Moscow for surgery, worsened during the flight, when the baby lost consciousness.

The crew decided to land at the nearest airport so that the baby could receive emergency treatment.

"The child has a congenital condition - Hydrocephalus," a source in a city hospital said. "She has undergone an operation."

Hydrocephalus, sometimes referred to as "water on the brain," is caused by an abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain cavities. It occurs in about one out of every 1,000 live births.