A Weary Castro Falls at Rally
Cuban leader Fidel Castro appeared to faint before a crowd of thousands and had to be helped off the stage by aides during a televised speech Saturday. He returned to the podium after a few minutes and said he was fine but needed some rest.
Castro said he would get some sleep and resume his speech later in the day.
The 74-year-old Castro, wearing his traditional long-sleeved uniform and heavy black boots, was about two hours into a speech under the bright sun with temperatures in the mid-80s when his body began listing to the side.
Government cameras suddenly pulled away and focused on the crowd, filled with surprised and concerned faces. Some people gasped, and some cried.
“Calmness and courage, we lift our flag,” Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque said, taking the microphone immediately after Castro appeared to faint. “Companero Fidel obviously has had in the middle of the heat . . . a momentary fall.”
It was the first time that Castro appeared to faint in public and the first time in recent memory that he has been too weak to finish a speech.
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