CBS journo sexually assaulted in Egypt

2011-02-16 07:50

Los Angeles – A senior CBS news correspondent Lara Logan was sexually assaulted in a crowd in Cairo following the fall of Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak and is now recovering in a US hospital, CBS News said on Tuesday.

A statement said the 39-year-old South African was covering the jubilation in Cairo's Tahrir Square for a 60 Minutes story when she was separated from her crew.

"She was surrounded and suffered a brutal and sustained sexual assault and beating before being saved by a group of women and an estimated 20 Egyptian soldiers," the statement said.

Logan is at least the third US reporter to be attacked while covering the historic protests, after CNN's Anderson Cooper was punched and Fox News correspondent Greg Palkot was severely beaten.

Logan is CBS News' chief foreign affairs correspondent and has reported from Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said the attack was "alarming", describing Logan as a "brilliant, courageous, and committed reporter".

Reports say at least 52 journalists were assaulted and 76 detained during events in Egypt.

- SAPA