Schoolgirl stands tall again after Mercy Ships surgery in Senegal

A GIRL of six whose legs were so bent her parents had to carry her to school can walk again after surgery on a hospital ship.

Satou, who lives in Senegal, started to develop ‘windswept legs’ when she was three. The condition - often linked to malnutrition – led to her being bullied and shunned by other youngsters.

But Mercy Ships, a UK-based charity vessel, docked near her west African home and she was offered free surgery and help to start walking.

Satou’s mother Khady said watching the casts being taken off to reveal straight limbs was ‘a dream come true’.

She said: ‘We used

Indescribable joy: Satou before surgery (above) and after

to carry her to school and pick her up afterwards, but now she’ll be able to go by herself. That joy is indescribable.’

SWISS climber Abdul Waraich (pictured), 41, and American Puwei Liu, 55, have both died on Mt Everest amid bad weather – days after treks were reopened following a year of closure due to Covid. China will only let locals climb its side of the 29,032ft peak this season but Nepal issued permits for 408 attempts.