RIYADH – The surgical separation of Saudi conjoined twins Sheikha and Shumukh, which was scheduled for Thursday morning, has been postponed following the twins’ sudden increase in body temperature.

Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, advisor at the Royal Court and supervisor general of King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief), confirmed that the operation has been postponed until the twins’ health situation stabilizes so the surgery can be performed.

The surgery comes in compliance with the directive of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman to separate the twins at the King Abdullah Specialist Children’s Hospital in King Abdulaziz Medical City.

According to Dr. Rabeeah, the head of the medical team, the twins are four-month-old girls, with each one weighing 5.2 kilograms. They are joined at the lower abdomen and pelvis area. Both have full limbs and share the pelvic area, the lower digestive system and the urinary and reproductive system.

The surgery is expected to last for 12 hours with seven stages in which around 25 doctors and specialists in addition to technicians and nurses will participate.