Colombian twins linked at head die

Bogota - Twin girls who had been born joined at the head died after an operation to separate them in the Colombian Caribbean …

Bogota - Twin girls who had been born joined at the head died after an operation to separate them in the Colombian Caribbean city of Cartagena, hospital officials said yesterday.

Maria Jose and Maria Fernanda, whose last names were not released, were born on Friday joined at the scalp. Doctors said they had separate brains and believed they could survive independently. But Maria Jose died late on Saturday as the operation was getting underway, Dr Carmen Caicedo of Bocagrande Hospital in Cartagena said.

Once the separation was complete Maria Fernanda suffered respiratory failure and died early yesterday, the doctor added.