Cuban leader Fidel Castro, 87, broke his knee and fractured an arm when he tripped descending steps following a speech to art school graduates in Santa Clara on 20 October 2004. Bodyguards helped him to a chair, and he assured the crowd he remained in command before leaving for hospital.
Castro underwent surgery on the knee without general anaesthetic. Writing from his hospital bed the following Friday, he told Cubans he was recovering well, in a letter titled "Letter to my Countrymen" that was broadcast on state television and printed in newspapers.
Written in the style of a field diary, the letter covered the fall, his hospital stay, and the operation in detail. Castro accepted full personal responsibility for the accident, citing the emotions of a day that had included a visit to Ernesto Che Guevara's mausoleum in Santa Clara before the ceremony.
Castro has governed Cuba for 45 years, holding the combined offices of Communist Party chief, head of state, head of government, and armed forces commander. Foreign diplomats in Havana have warned that a prolonged absence could leave a power vacuum.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this AFP wire report, first published in October 2004, in its own words.