DHAKA: German chancellor Angela Merkel appeared publicly on crutches on Tuesday for the first time since it emerged she had fractured her pelvis in a ski accident, to join children for carol singing.

Smiling broadly and looking relaxed, the 59-year-old chancellor, dressed in a smart teal jacket and dark trousers, negotiated a few steps to stand, leaning on her two crutches, among the 100 or so youngsters from across Germany.

The annual event at the chancellery, in which youngsters don ‘Three Wise Men’ costumes and sing carols as part of an Epiphany fundraising effort for needy children, is one of only a couple of appointments that Dr Merkel will keep this week.

After a fall over the Christmas holidays while cross-country skiing in Switzerland, Dr Merkel suffered a fractured pelvis and has been advised by doctors to remain lying down as much as possible for three weeks, her spokesman revealed on Monday, The Straits Times publishes this report on Tuesday.

BDST: 2029 HRS, JAN 07, 2014
Edited by Robab Rosan, Current Affairs Editor