Bulletproof vest ‘saved Imran Khan from serious back injury’

Imran Khan was today recovering in hospital after falling 12 feet from a hydraulic lift at an election rally in Lahore.

The 60-year-old former Pakistan cricket captain and leading politician had stitches to his head and treatment to his spine.

Doctors said his spinal cord has not been seriously damaged. He was moved out of intensive care and was well enough to be interviewed in hospital by state TV.

His family said his bulletproof vest may have protected him from serious back injury. He fell at one of the final rallies of his campaign in the country’s May 11 general election. A statement from his party, the PTI, said: “Imran Khan is up, he is talking to people.”

At least 14 people were killed in three bomb blasts in north-west Pakistan targeting politicians and parties involved in the elections.