A U.S. military aircraft from a base in Germany will transport Secretary of State John Kerry to Boston from Geneva for medical treatment for a broken leg, his spokesman said on Monday.
Kerry, 71, broke his right leg on Sunday in an accident while cycling a portion of the Tour de France route in the Haute Savoie region. He remained in Geneva's main hospital overnight for observation.
“Secretary Kerry will be transported (from Geneva) to Boston aboard a U.S. military C-17 transport aircraft. The aircraft, based in Ramstein, Germany, will be staffed by additional military medical personnel in keeping with standard practice,” State Department spokesperson John Kirby said in a statement.
A doctor from Massachusetts General Hospital who has performed previous hip surgery on Kerry was expected in Geneva on Monday to evaluate the secretary's fractured femur.
“I can confirm that Dr. Dennis Burke, Secretary Kerry's orthopedic surgeon, will accompany the Secretary on the flight back to Boston to monitor the Secretary's condition and ensure he remains comfortable,” Kirby said in a separate statement.
Kerry, who was in Geneva for negotiations on Saturday with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, has canceled planned visits to Madrid and Paris this week following his fall.
He was brought to Geneva hospital by helicopter on Sunday morning and was initially expected to return to the United States that evening but stayed on as a “precaution” as his medical evacuation was planned, officials said.
Kerry spoke by telephone with French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius by telephone on Monday, assuring him that he would return to cycle again in France, French officials said.
Kerry also told Fabius he would participate by telephone in a summit on Tuesday that France is hosting of 24 countries in Paris to discuss the U.S.-led coalition's strategy against Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.
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