Brazil's Bolsonaro rushed to hospital with intestinal blockage

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was rushed to hospital early Monday with abdominal pain that doctors found was caused by an intestinal blockage, and is facing potential surgery nine months out from elections.

Bolsonaro, 66, was on vacation at the beach in the southern state of Santa Catarina when the pain started, leading to a rushed evacuation to Sao Paulo in the presidential plane.

The far-right leader posted a picture of himself in his hospital bed on Twitter, flashing the thumbs-up sign, with a message saying he was facing "possible surgery for an internal blockage in the abdominal region."

Bolsonaro has had a series of health problems since being stabbed in the abdomen during the 2018 presidential campaign that brought him to power. He has undergone at least four surgeries since.

"I started feeling unwell after lunch Sunday. I arrived at the hospital at 3:00 am today," he tweeted after being admitted to Vila Nova Star hospital in São Paulo.

"They gave me a nasogastric tube," a device to carry food and medicine to the stomach through the nose.

"They'll be doing more exams to decide if I need surgery," he added.

Bolsonaro's office said he was "doing well." Brazilian channel TV Globo carried images of him walking unassisted as he disembarked from his plane with his entourage.

Bolsonaro's medical team said he was suffering from an "intestinal subocclusion," a partial blockage of the intestinal tract.

"He is stable, undergoing treatment and will be reevaluated throughout the morning," his doctors said in a statement.

"At the moment, there is no forecast for his release."

The surgeon who has operated on Bolsonaro in the past, Dr. Antonio Luiz Macedo -- who was himself on vacation in the Bahamas -- will arrive, the president said.