Brazilian President Lula da Silva In The ICU After Brain Surgery Following a Fall

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is in the intensive care unit (ICU) after undergoing brain surgery, local press reported. The procedure was conducted "without problems" and Lula is "fine," the president's office said in a social media post.

The reason for the surgery was a complication from a heavy fall he took in mid October. Lula, 79, went to a hospital in Brasilia due to a "headache" that turned out to be internal bleeding in his brain. He was promptly taken to the Syrian-Lebanese hospital in Sao Paulo to undergo surgery, where the blood was drained.

The October fall was serious enough that Lula needed five stitches in the back of his head and had to cancel a planned trip to the BRICS summit and was replaced by Foreign Minister Maurio Vieira.

Lula described the episode as "serious," but said it "did not affect any delicate part" of his head in a subsequent call with an official from the Workers' Party, which he leads. "It was my own foolishness," he added. He was initially prevented from traveling by plane but later authorized to do so.

Lula remains hospitalized in the ICU, with his medical team expected to hold a press conference to provide updates about his condition.