A French journalist with the TF1 television channel died Sunday, after being hit by a tank during US live-fire exercises in the Kuwaiti desert. "Patrick Bourrat died this morning at 2:00 am (2300 GMT Saturday)," an embassy spokesman told AFP. "Among other injuries, his spleen was ruptured and one kidney, although still working, was half cut," he said.
Bourrat was hit by a US army Abrams tank Saturday morning while trying to save his cameraman's life, the spokesman added.
Details of the accident were not clarified Saturday, but the spokesman said Bourrat had actually leapt in front of an oncoming tank that would have run into the TV1 cameraman.
"He was very courageous because he wanted to protect his cameraman," said the spokesman.
Bourrat, who was 48 years old, was evacuated out of the desert after the accident and transported to the Kuwaiti Armed Forces Hospital, where he was diagnosed with four broken ribs.
When visited by French ambassador Claude Losguardi and other embassy staff later Saturday, Bourrat was able to speak, although he had complained of being in a lot of pain, the spokesman said, according to AFP.
"A scan in the evening revealed what had not been discovered in the morning," said the spokesperson. Bourrat had kidney damage and a ruptured spleen and was promptly operated on, he added.
"The operation was okay but afterwards he started bleeding." A team of u.s. doctors had done "the best they could under the circumstances," he said.
"Bourrat had planned to be back in France for Christmas but the hospital had recommended on Saturday that he stay one more day to be fit to travel," said the spokesman. (Albawaba.com)
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