People have been left in tears after a conjoined twins died barely hours before they were about to be separated.
The conjoined twins died before they could be separated
Conjoined twins in Malawi have died this morning barely two hours before they were due to be separated.
Lead surgeon Dr Carlos Valera at Kamuzu Central Hospital told the BBC that the week-old babies had died because of lung complications:
"I am very depressed. They had a high chance of survival despite being born prematurely and I was optimistic the procedure would go well, but then, there are things we have no control over."
The babies, who were connected at the heart and liver, had been due to be operated on at the hospital in the capital, Lilongwe, yesterday, but Dr Valera says the surgery was postponed because of a shortage of blood.
The operation, involving a team of four doctors and other hospital personnel, had been expected to last a minimum of three hours.
The hospital has successfully separated conjoined twins in the past.
And there were high expectations for today’s operation with Malawians on social media sending their best wishes to the surgical team as well as the babies.
BBC