Singapore: Neurosurgeons separated 29-year-old Iranian twins born joined at the head after two days of delicate surgery, but both sisters died on July 8 shortly after their parting.

A few hours after the hospital announced Ladan Bijani's death, a nurse involved in the surgery said her sister Lelah had also died.

Hospital officials did not immediately officially announce the second death.

Earlier, doctors said Ladan died after they were unable to stabilise her condition.

"As the separation was coming to a close, a lot of blood was lost. The twins were subsequently in a critical state," said Raffles hospital spokesman Dr Prem Kumar.

The risky marathon separation procedure began on July 6. Before the operation, doctors had warned that the surgery could kill one or both of the twins, or leave them brain-dead.

Kumar had warned that controlling the bleeding and moving the twins from a seated position onto separate beds would be a big challenge, and that the condition of either twin would remain largely unknown until they wake up after surgery.

Agencies