Paul Reynolds reports from Washington

She had been named Chijindu Chidera - a traditional name from south-east Nigeria meaning 'God has my life'.

The proud parents before the sad news

Doctors at the Texas Children's Hospital had had high hopes the siblings would become the world's first surviving octuplets.

But Chijindu Chidera, nicknamed Odera, was pronounced dead at 0323 local time.

Her mother had only seen her for the first time on Saturday, when Odera was moved from a ventilator to a special machine to try and improve the oxygen supply to her blood.

'She is now safe with God'

Odera was the fifth child born to Nkem Chukwu and her husband, Iyke Louis Udobi.

In a statement issued after her death, they said: "We are very saddened by the passing of our beloved baby, Odera.

''She is now safe with God in heaven and we remain most grateful to Him for having blessed our lives with hers.''

Two days ago, Mr Udobi told how he was "stunned beyond belief" at the birth of his eight children and thanked God for what he called "a great gift".

The first of the babies, a girl, was born 12 weeks premature on 8 December.

The others, two boys and five girls, were delivered by Caesarian section on 20 December. The heaviest was just 1lb 11oz (750g).

Intensive care

Like her siblings, Odera had been in intensive care at the Texas Children's Hospital since she was born.

All the surviving babies are in critical condition and the youngest has undergone abdominal surgery.

Four of the babies are now breathing on their own. But they will not be able to go home for at least two months.

The children are the first for Ms Chukwu and Mr Udobi, who live in Houston and originally come from Nigeria. The couple had tried to have children for some time, before turning to fertility drugs.

Ms Chukwu entered hospital in early October and had been confined to bed for six weeks.

To keep pressure off her lower body, she was put at an extreme incline with her head downwards.

Fertility drugs

Our correspondent Paul Reynolds says the births have led to considerable controversy in the US over the use of fertility drugs.

The New York Times said the trend towards multiple births should not be encouraged - it puts the children at risk and the expense of rearing them is high.

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the largest multiple birth was nine babies in Sydney, Australia, in 1971. All the children died.

Three other octuplet births have been recorded in the past 13 years, but in each case, some of the babies died.