Indian Foreign Minister stable after crash

India’s foreign minister, who was seriously injured when a lorry slammed into his car in eastern India, is now stable, it was reported today.

Earlier, Pranab Mukherjee was flown to the capital New Delhi by military plane, where he was met by the prime minister and taken to an army hospital, according to one of the minister’s aides.

A medical bulletin from the hospital said that the 72-year-old was “cheerful and stable,” and would be kept under observation for another 48 hours, the Press Trust of India reported.

“I am well but doctors have advised me 48-hours rest,” the minister, a long-time stalwart of India’s ruling Congress Party, said.

The accident took place last night as Mukherjee was travelling back from his parliamentary constituency north of Calcutta, eastern India’s main city.

The lorry driver apparently lost control when a tyre burst as Mukherjee’s convoy was driving past in the opposite lane.