Parents abandon premature twins

The parents of prematurely born twins, brought to Sidon hospital for artificial incubation, deserted their offspring when it was time to pay the fees, medical sources said on October 5.

Assad and Linda Akran, identified only as residents of a southern village, brought the babies to the Labib Medical Center on July 27 after they'd been born two months premature in another hospital. The twins--Ahmed and Sandy--were placed in an incubator at the hospital.

However the parents, who made regular visits to the hospital, stopped showing up last week when they learned the twins would not need incubation for much longer.

The babies, are being looked after by the hospital nurses, said hospital owner Labib Abu Daher.