A live heart was transported from Aurangabad to Mumbai, a distance of 323.5 kilometres, in one hour and thirty-four minutes and was successfully transplanted into a 4-year-old girl.

A statement from Fortis Hospital in suburban Mulund, where the transplant took place, said that the operation was successful and the girl, a resident of Jalna, was under observation.

The hospital statement said that the live heart of a 13-year-old boy, who died in a road accident, was retrieved in Aurangabad's MGM Hospital yesterday from where it left for Aurangabad Airport at 1:50 pm.

It reached the airport at 1:54 pm covering the 4.8-kilometre distance in 4 minutes thanks to a green corridor set in place there, the hospital said.

A chartered flight brought the heart to Mumbai Airport at 3:05 pm from where it was rushed, via a green corridor, to Fortis Hospital, 18 kilometres away, in 19 minutes.

"The heart reached Fortis at 3:24 pm, one hour and thirty-four minutes after it was retrieved in Aurangabad. The distance covered stood at 323.5 kilometres," Fortis officials said today.