Hospital statement says Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva had operation after brain bleed detected during scan

The Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, is recovering in intensive care having undergone emergency surgery after a brain bleed was detected during an MRI scan.

A statement from the Sírio-Libanês hospital in São Paulo that was shared on Lula’s social networks early on Tuesday said the operation had taken place “without complications”. Brazil’s leftwing leader was under observation after the craniotomy and was “well”. According to the NHS, a craniotomy is a surgical intervention during which a neurosurgeon temporarily removes part of the skull to remove a haematoma. Such surgery is usually performed under a general anaesthetic.