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King orders obese Saudi man be airlifted to hospital

A morbidly obese man has been fork-lifted out of his home on the orders of the Saudi king.

Khalid Mohsin Shaeri is believed to weigh more than 600 kilos and has not been able to leave his bedroom for two-and-a-half years.

In recently released video of the operation, Shaeri can be seen sitting in bed as civil workers lift him onto a forklift truck.

An ambulance is said to have transferred Shaeri to a local airport where he was flown in a purpose-built aircraft to the King Fahd Medical City in the Saudi capital of Riyad.

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia paid for the entire operation.

It is reported King Abdullah attempted to have the man treated six months earlier but plans were delayed as there were no beds available for Shaeri in the United States.

Khalid Mohsin Shaeri has been bed-ridden for two-and-a-half years. Photo: Reuters video
Khalid Mohsin Shaeri has been bed-ridden for two-and-a-half years. Photo: Reuters video

Minister of Health Dr Abdullah Al-Rabeeah told the Saudi Gazette, "It is really a humanitarian gesture from the King to order the transfer and treatment of the patient."

"It is one of the King’s traits that he always demonstrates whenever someone is in need."

Khalid Mohsin Shaeri is reportedly the second largest man in the world.