Surgeons separate 3-day-old conjoined twins in 5-hour operation

The team of gifted surgeons, pictured moments after successfully separating the twins, performed the lifesaving operation free of charge.  (SWNS)

Surgeons in India posed for a celebratory selfie after successfully separating 3-day-old conjoined twins in a painstaking operation.

The baby girls - which are yet to be named - had a combined weight of just 7lbs and were joined at the tummy.

Doctors said the pair's parents were anxious about separating them - but thankfully doctors managed to convince them it was for the best.

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A five-hour op saw the medics anesthetize them both at the exact same time, before separating their breastbones and livers.

The surgeons at S S Hospital in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India, performed the procedure for free because the parents were not able to pay.

The girls, pictured before the surgery, were only 3 days old at the time of the operation. (SWNS)

The medics took a photo with the two babies on the operating table to celebrate the op which was tricky due to their tiny blood supply.

"It was one of the rarest operations our hospital does," Dr. Vaibhav Pandey, assistant professor of pediatric surgery, said. "I am very happy that both survived in spite of the long operation and the children being weak. It was a challenging task."

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The operation took place on Dec. 6 and was performed by a team of five surgeons, ten doctors, and 15 nurses.

They are set to be discharged later this week and will be named in a traditional ritual at home. (SWNS)

The babies, who were dehydrated before the operation, are due to be discharged from hospital later this week and are doing well, the hospital said.

They will be named during traditional rituals performed when they get home, it was said.