Syrian Conjoined Twins Die of Heart Failure

Syrian conjoined twins who were evacuated from their war-torn town in Syria for medical treatment died of heart failure Wednesday, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent announced.

The boys, who were conjoined at the chest, also suffered from cleft lip and cleft palate (facial and oral malformations) and liver distortions, the nonprofit humanitarian group said. They were receiving care at a hospital in the country before they could travel abroad for surgery, the BBC reported.

On Aug. 12, the 2-month-old twins, Nawras and Mou'az Al-Hashash were evacuated from the besieged Syrian town of Ghouta to a private hospital in Damascus, Syria, after doctors appealed to the World Health Organization for help. They were immediately placed in intensive care as they waited for permission to leave the country, Red Crescent said. The BBC reported that the babies would die if they were unable to undergo surgery.

The twins were born on July 23 in eastern Ghouta, according to Red Crescent. Official authorities approved for them to be evacuated the next day, but the supervising medical staff in Ghouta refused to let them out.

It has been difficult for humanitarian aid to reach areas juts north of Damascus, such as Ghouta, due to heavy fighting and prolonged shelling since the war began, the BBC reported.