TheCable

Two days after attending the inauguration of President Muhammadu Buhari, John Kerry, US secretary of state, was admitted in a hospital in Geneva after breaking his leg during a bicycle accident in the French Alps.

John Kirby, Kerry’s spokesman, confirmed that his boss was taken by helicopter to Geneva University Hospital, where he was conscious and in stable condition with a leg injury.

He said the accident occurred in Scionzier, a town near the border with Switzerland, around 9:40 am.

“Paramedics and a physician were on the scene with the secretary’s motorcade at the time of the accident,” the state department said in a statement.

Kerry departed Nigeria for Geneva on Friday.

On Saturday, he conducted talks with Mohammad Javad Zarif Iranian foreign minister, as part of ongoing efforts to forge a comprehensive agreement about Tehran’s disputed nuclear programme ahead of a June 30 deadline.

He was due to fly to Madrid in Spain, later on Sunday to meet with Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and King Felipe VI on Tuesday.

Kerry was also scheduled to travel to Paris to hold talks with counterparts from the countries participating in the military coalition targeting the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.

All the trips have been suspended.

Kerry is known for his love of cycling and often takes his bike with him when he travels.

In 1992, he injured his shoulder while riding a bike.