Severely brain damaged girl, 5, en route to Italy for treatment after legal battle with UK doctors

A severely brain-damaged girl is on her way to Italy for treatment after her family won a legal battle against hospital bosses in the UK who wanted to end her life-sustaining care.

Tafida Raqeeb, 5, has been in hospital in the UK since February after she suffered ruptured blood vessels that left her brain damaged and in a minimally conscious state.

It soon became a case that gripped the UK after specialist doctors said any further treatment for Tafida would be futile — but her family disagreed.

Tafida parents, Shelina Begum and Mohammed Raqeeb, said in a post to their GoFundMe page that they were "convinced" their daughter's condition was improving.

"Her life is precious. After a seven-month journey, we are united with Tafida in continuing to fight for her life," they wrote.

But after finding a hospital in Genoa, Italy, that had agreed to provide further care, the family were blocked by hospital bosses in the UK from taking her abroad.

Following a legal battle, a High Court judge eventually ruled in the family's favour earlier this month, allowing Tafida to travel to Europe.

A statement posted on Tuesday to Save Tafida, a family-run Facebook account, confirmed that the five-year-old had "left the UK", and wished her luck for the journey ahead.