Fidel Castro, 78, broke his left knee and fractured his right arm after losing his footing on a staircase at an art school graduation ceremony in Santa Clara, roughly 280 kilometers east of Havana, late on 20 October 2004. Cameras recorded the Cuban president tumbling to one side as he descended the steps after addressing graduates. He rose with help from his security detail, took a seat, and assured those present that he remained fit and in charge.
Havana issued an unusually candid health bulletin the following morning, confirming the injuries and stating that Castro was healthy and in good spirits. Officials urged the country's 11 million citizens to stay calm. Cuba rarely discloses details about its president's condition, which it typically treats as a state secret.
The US government offered no formal response. State Department officials, all speaking anonymously, confined themselves to wordplay. One quipped that Washington had long awaited Castro's fall, though not in this form. Another called it "a sign of a falling regime." Neither would address policy implications or speculate about the Cuban leader's broader health.
Castro himself appeared unbothered, saying he expected the photographs of him on the ground to land on front pages worldwide.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this AFP wire report, first published in October 2004, in its own words.