Castro recovering after fall

Cuban president Fidel Castro is recovering today, hours after falling as he left the stage following a televised speech.

But the communist leader quickly recovered his composure and assured people he was “all in one piece”.

Castro, aged 78, was shown sweating and sitting in a chair at the live outdoor event in the central city of Santa Clara after the fall last night and joked that “maybe I broke my knee … but I am all in one piece”. His fall was not televised.

During his brief appearance on camera, he was sweating profusely and said that he preferred to leave the area in a Jeep rather than an ambulance and encouraged those at the event to continue with their musical programme.

It was unclear what happened after Castro wrapped up a speech at a graduation ceremony for arts instructors and was leaving the stage. Castro’s knees have seemed to bother him in recent years.

The incident did not appear nearly as serious as a fall in June 2001, when Castro apparently fainted before a crowd of thousands during a speech in the scorching sun.

At that time, Castro joked that it was only a rehearsal to see what kind of burial he would get.