President Fidel Castro of Cuba broke his left knee and right arm in a public fall last night, but quickly reassured his audience that he remained "in one piece" and would go on working.

The 78-year-old revolutionary tripped and fell as he walked down some steps from a stage on Wednesday night after giving an hour-long speech at a graduation ceremony. The incident was shown live by Cuban television.

The audience at an art school in Santa Clara, 280 km (175 miles) east of Havana gasped and was stunned into silence, but Senor Castro got up with the help of bodygards and, sitting on a chair, hastened to assure the audience he remained in control.

"Please excuse me for having fallen," said Senor Castro, who was clad in his trademark olive uniform. "Just so no one speculates, I may have a fracture in my knee and maybe one in my arm. But I remain in one piece."

He added: "Trust that I'll do everything possible to recover as soon as possible, but, as you can see, even if I have to get casts, I can continue my work." The audience broke into cheers and thundrous applause.

A Government statement today said: "The medical exam confirmed what the commander-in-chief himself anticipated, that after his accidental fall at yesterday’s ceremony there is a fracture in his left knee and a fissure in the upper part of the humerus of the right arm, which will be treated appropriately."

That statement said that Senor Castro, Cuba's President for 45 years, "is in a good general state of health and his spirits are excellent... (and is) ... fit to continue working on basic issues in close cooperation with the party leadership and the state".

It said that Senor Castro thanked those who had expressed their concern and appealed to them to maintain calm. "He believe he will make a quick recovery," he said.

The Cuban Government, still in Cold War mode because of hostile relations with the United States, normally treats the medical condition of its leader as a state secret.

Senor Castro joked about seeing pictures of himself on the floor in international newspapers and voiced confidence he would again make front-page news all over the world.

The President left before the event concluded and was driven away. Before yesterday's fall, Senor Castro had visited the mausoleum of his former comrade, Ernesto Che Guevara, who was killed in Bolivia in 1967 as he was trying to foment a revolutionary uprising.

Flanked by Elian Gonzalez, the boy at the centre of a bitter custody dispute between the United States and Cuba, Senor Castro laid a wreath on Guevara’s tomb.

In Miami, home to about 800,000 Cuban-Americans, staunch foes of the Cuban leader had higher hopes for his tumble.

"I’m happy he got a good fall," said Guillermo Novo at the Versailles restaurant in Miami’s Little Havana, a favoured meeting spot for Cuban exiles."I’m only sorry he did not get really badly hurt."

Explore World News

• World Agenda

• Iraq News

• US & Americas News

• Europe News

• Middle East News

• Asia News

• Africa News

• Ireland News

Times Recommends

• Rio Tinto four held as China prepares case
• Diplomats must keep heads down and trousers up
• When in Rome should one make like Berlusconi?