Siamese twins separated successfully

Siamese twins from Nepal who were born joined at the head have been separated in an operation lasting almost four days.

A spokeswoman for Singapore General Hospital, where the operation was carried out, described the complicated separation of Ganga and Jamuna Shrestha a "success".

The girls are now being treated by plastic surgeons.

The 11-month-old twins had been on the operating table since 4pm local time on Friday. Doctors had initially hoped to finish in 24 to 40 hours.

The hospital said in a statement that the procedure was "meticulous and paced" because of the twins' "complex and extensive" blood vessel interconnections.

The girls mother, Sandhya, is a kindergarten teacher and their father, Bushan, helps his father in a small business. The young couple in their 20s have kept almost constant vigil at the hospital with brief breaks to pray at a Hindu temple.

Singaporeans have donated $358,000 to help the twins. The hospital has waived many of their charges, and Singapore Airlines paid for the girls, their parents and their grandfather to make the trip from Nepal.

The family have been living with the Nepalese Gurkha community in Singapore.