Brazilian President Lula Undergoes Brain Surgery, Recovering In ICU

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva pictured in Montevideo on Dec. 5, 2024. — Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva pictured in Montevideo on Dec. 5, 2024.

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is recovering in an intensive-care unit after undergoing surgery for an intracranial hemorrhage, the Sirio-Libanes hospital said in a statement in the early hours of Tuesday.

The procedure was performed after the 79-year-old leftist leader felt headaches doctors believed resulted from a fall at home in October.

The hospital said Lula, who travelled from the capital Brasilia to be treated 1,000 kilometers south (620 miles) in Sao Paulo, is “well, under monitoring in an ICU bed” after the bleeding was drained.

Brazil’s presidency has yet to issue any comment.

Lula canceled a trip to Russia for a BRICS summit after the accident, his office said at the time. It left him with a cut visible on the back of his head, slightly above his neck.

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Sirio-Libanes said a press conference will be held at 9 a.m. local time (12 a.m. GMT) to discuss the surgery.

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva