World's fattest woman - who weighs nearly 500 kg - is lifted out of her bed by a crane and put on a cargo plane to be flown to India for surgery

The world's fattest woman has been safely transported to India for life-saving surgery after being craned out of her home in Egypt.

Eman Ahmed Abd El Aty, 36, who weighs 78 stone (some 500 kg), was taken out of her home in Alexandria and placed in an Egypt Air cargo plane earlier today.

A wall of her room had to be brought down to help bring her out.

Ms Aty, who suffers from a condition called Elephantiasis, will now have weight reduction surgery at Saifee Hospital in Mumbai, western India.

Prior to this journey, she had not left her home for 25 years as she was unable to move from her bed.

After a seven-hour flight, she was placed in a mini truck at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport and transported to hospital, where she will undergo a series of Bariatric procedures.

She was accompanied by her sister, Shaimaa Ahmed, and a team of doctors from the hospital.

The surgery is a stomach-shrinking bypass procedure carried out on those wanting to lose excessive weight.

A spokesperson for the hospital said: 'She, along with her sister Shaimaa Ahmed, arrived in Mumbai at around 4am to prepare her for the flight.

'The team of doctors have been in Egypt for the last 10 days to optimise the conditions for her travel.

'Given the fact that she is so heavy, and not moved for the last 25 years, she is at a high risk (of suffering) a pulmonary embolism.

'(She) has been put on blood thinners to try and minimise the chances of such an eventuality during her transfer.'

Eman was born weighing a staggering 11lbs and was shortly diagnosed afterwards with the parasitic disease.

By the time she turned 11, she was too heavy to support her weight standing up, and resorted to crawling in her home on her knees.

Around the same time she dropped out of primary school and tragically suffering a cerebral stroke, which left her bedridden and exacerbated her conditions, causing her to remain in her room.

She has suffered paralysis in right leg and right arm.

Prior to her flight, a special bed was created for her in line with the requirements needed to transport her safely to Mumbai.

Special equipment was also installed in the cargo plane in case of an emergency, including a portable ventilator, portable defibrillator, oxygen cylinder, intubation laryngoscope and drugs.

As she approached 78 stone, her family posted a desperate plea online to Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi asking for medical assistance.

After hearing about her case, Dr Muffazal Lakdawala offered to carry out the procedure free of charge.

Her request for a visa was initially rejected, prompting Lakdawala in December to tweet a request for help to India's foreign minister Sushma Swaraj.

At the time Swaraj was in hospital awaiting a kidney transplant but was quick to respond with an offer of help.

Ms Aty has had a long wait as no airliners were willing to fly her from Egypt to India due to possible health complications.

Dr Lakdawala previously said: 'Transporting Eman to Mumbai is a challenging task keeping in mind the complexities of her case as she is a high risk patient who has not been able to move or leave the house for the past 25 years.'

Bariatric surgery is increasingly common in India, which has a growing problem with obesity, particularly in urban areas.

India is a key destination for medical tourists because it offers quality services at a fraction of the cost of western countries and no waiting lists.