By Jonny Dymond BBC, Istanbul

The Turkish authorities have intervened to stop doctors ending the life of a young German woman in hospital in Istanbul.

Nina Typol, 25, is in a coma after being shot in the head by her fiance on Wednesday.

But the government has stopped doctors turning off her life support machine because she is pregnant.

It says that an attempt to save the baby's life must be made.

Abortion stopped

As she lies in a coma in hospital, her fate is argued over by her parents, doctors and lawyers.

She was meant to die late on Friday afternoon.

She has been kept alive on a life-support machine since her fiance, who had been drinking, shot her during an argument.

Nina's parents, who have flown over from Germany, say that she had always wanted to be allowed to die if her life was only being maintained through mechanical means.

The child she is carrying would have to be aborted before the life-support machines were turned off.

But the Turkish Government has stopped both the abortion and the ending of Nina's life.

A state lawyer went to the hospital to inform doctors of the decision, a few hours before Nina was to be allowed to die.

Now Nina's parents are waiting to see what will happen to their daughter and the child she carries.