A mermaid no more

Doctors yesterday separated the legs of a baby born with a rare defect known as 'mermaid syndrome'.

They had intended only to part 13-month-old Milagros Cerron's legs up to the knees. But the four-and-a-half-hour operation went so well the 11 surgeons completely separated the legs.

They had planned to wait three months before finishing the job.

Dr Luis Rubio, who carried out the operation in Lima, Peru, said Milagros was now able to bend one leg at a time.

'This surgical intervention has been a true success,' he added.

Milagros' parents hope the surgery will enable her to walk one day.

Her father, Ricardo, 24, broke into tears as Dr Rubio made the first incision. The surgeon carried out a live commentary on the operation, which was shown on TV. After half-an-hour, he said he had separated a major artery connecting both legs.

The baby's mother, Sara Arauco, 20, later said her prayers had been answered. 'Yes, this is a miracle,' she added. Milagros was born with a congenital defect called sirenomelia, which occurs once in 70,000 births.

She will need 15 years of corrective surgery to reconstruct and repair her sexual, digestive and other internal organs.