Two-headed baby dies in poverty

A baby born with two heads has died at home in Bangladesh.

The boy, named Kiron, was taken home by his family last night against doctors' advice, as they were too poor to keep him in hospital.

Kiron was born with two heads, causing crowds of 150,000 to surround a hospital as they try to get a glimpse of him yesterday.



Police were called in to control the throngs in Bangladesh amid fears of a stampede that could crush the boy and his 22-year-old mother.

"We wanted to refer him to a hospital in Dhaka but the family was so poor that they could not afford to take him there, so they took him home where he died," paediatrician K.S. Alam said.

Kiron was born in a caesarean operation on Monday, weighing just over 12lb, in Keshobpur, 100 miles from the capital, Dhaka.