KATMANDU, Nepal (AP) -- A conjoined twin who was separated
from her sister during a grueling, 100-hour operation seven years ago
died Tuesday at a hospital in Nepal, doctors said.
Ganga Shrestha, 8, died at the Model Hospital in Katmandu, three days
after being admitted for treatment of a severe chest infection, Dr.
Basanta Pant said. The physician, who has treated the girls most of
their lives, refused to give details.
However, Ganga has been
described as the weaker of the twins and had not made satisfactory
progress since the marathon operation to separate their fused brains
took place in April 2001 in Singapore by a team of 20 doctors.
Ganga and her twin, Jamuna, were 10 months old when the surgery took
place. The operation was followed by people around the world and gave
the doctors and the twins celebrity status.
Four years ago,
during a follow-up visit, doctors in Singapore expressed concerns that
the twins were malnourished, weak and needed to grow.
Singapore
footed the bill for the surgery and paid for the family's travel.
Doctors worked for free, and the hospital waived many of its charges.
Doctors had warned that the twins would face "some kind of disability"
as they grew but were confident that the separation was successful.
CNN