Conjoined twins—Tofa and Tahura—were successfully separated by a group of doctors at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) yesterday.

A team of 16 doctors conducted the surgery for about seven-and-a-half hours to separate the two babies, who were joined from back till below their waist and shared a single anus.

The two babies from Gaibandha were said to be doing well after the operation, which began around 9:30am and continued till 5:15pm.

“We've successfully completed the surgery. The babies have been kept in the post-operative ward. Both the children have regained consciousness,” said Dr Shahnoor Islam after the operation.

Briefing reporters, she said both the children are moving their hands and legs.

The doctor, however, said it is still early to say whether the 10-month-old twins are really out of danger.

Dr Shahnoor Islam, associate professor of paediatric surgery at the DMCH, said the babies would have to undergo three more surgeries at their anus and uterus. After the twins were

separated around 2:15pm, they were treated separately in two different OTs.

Dr Ashraful Haque Kajal, head of the paediatric department at the DMCH, said they have separated the spinal cords, anus and the uterus of the two babies. “We were apprehensive about damage to the spinal cord during the operation. But we’ve done it successfully,” he said.

Physicians Rajiul Hassan, SM Shafiqul Alam, Asit Chandra Sarkar, Ashraful Haque, Abdul Hanif and Kaniz Hasina, among others, took part in the surgery.

The twins, who were admitted to the DMCH on July 15, are the daughters of Shahida and Raju Mia of Ganbabdha district.