MILAN, (Reuters) – Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was rushed to hospital covered in blood with a broken nose and teeth after a man with mental problems hurled a statuette at him at a rally, officials said yesterday.
Berlusconi was bundled into a car, with blood spattered over his face, and rushed to hospital after the assault. The media mogul had just ended a speech to thousands of supporters in a square behind the cathedral in the northern city of Milan.
The 73-year-old prime minister said “I’m fine, I’m fine” as he arrived at the hospital, the Ansa news agency said.
His personal doctor, Alberto Zangrillo, said the premier had suffered a fractured nose, two broken teeth and cuts to his lips that required stitches.
He said Berlusconi would be kept in overnight for observation and would need up to 15 days to recover.
