Burkina Faso Foreign Minister Collapses in Turkey
Burkina Faso's foreign minister collapsed and fell off a platform on Thursday during a live press conference in Ankara with Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu.
Djibrill Bassole wobbled and fell to the floor, knocking down a stand in front of him, while Davutoglu was responding to a journalist's question.
The Turkish minister tried to grab Bassole by the arm but was unable to prevent him falling.
"I could see something was wrong but I thought it was the translation," said Davutoglu, who suffered a minor foot injury himself in the incident.
The 55-year old minister was helped to his feet by Davutoglu and other officials in the room and was seen apparently well and smiling to the cameras as he was taken to hospital.
"He seems to have suffered a partial blackout, we ran some heart and blood tests," a doctor from the hospital that treated Bassole told reporters.
"His heart is just fine but he has low blood sugar, which could explain what happened," the doctor added.
Davutoglu said Bassole now looked well but added: "We will not let him go anywhere before we are completely sure."
Bassole was scheduled to visit France on Monday but the trip will be cancelled, Davutoglu added.
Foreign ministry officials said earlier Bassole had a sore throat and had taken antibiotics a few hours before the press conference.
Source: Agence France Presse
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