Formerly conjoined twins in stable condition

An aid worker who helped bring formerly conjoined Bangladeshi twins to Australia where doctors managed to separate them spoke of her relief Wednesday over their successful surgery, as the girls remained in serious but stable condition.

Danielle Noble, who first met Trishna and Krishna in an orphanage in Bangladesh in 2007 when they were only a month old, said she cried Tuesday after learning from a televised news report that surgeons had successfully separated the girls, who were born joined at their heads.

"I watched as the doctor came out and said they had been separated — it was quite surreal, unbelievable," Noble said. "I shed a few tears — it's been really emotional. I feel connected to the girls, so it's been an emotional couple of days."

Trishna and Krishna, who turn 3 next month, shared a section of skull, blood vessels and brain tissue. They were separated Tuesday after 25 hours of delicate surgery and reconstruction by a team of 16 surgeons and nurses.

It is too early to know whether the girls suffered any brain damage during the marathon operation — an outcome doctors said was a 50-50 chance. The girls will remain in an induced coma for monitoring for several days.