DiCaprio in Nelspruit hospital

2006-04-22 16:53

Maputo - Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio was flown from location in Mozambique to South Africa for medical treatment, a hospital official and his publicist said on Saturday.

A Johannesburg newspaper said he had been injured while filming his latest movie The Blood Diamond but the hospital official could only say he had had X-rays.

The official told Reuters the Oscar-winning star of Titanic had arrived on Friday at the hospital in Nelspruit, near the Kruger National Park, with an entourage of bodyguards.

"He walked into the hospital grounds surrounded by bodyguards," said Robyn Baard, spokeswoman for the Nelspruit Medi-Clinic.

He consulted a doctor for about two hours and then left, presumably for the flight back to Mozambique, Baard said.

Robert Harris, publicist for The Blood Diamond, told Reuters in Mozambique that DiCaprio was injured while running, but offered no further details.

"It was a minor injury. He was running when it happened. We took him to hospital in South Africa because we just wanted to make sure he was okay, and that done, he is now back to work," Harris said.

The Citizen newspaper said DiCaprio, 31, had been injured during filming but also gave no details.

"Nothing was ever released about the nature of the consultation. He was never a hospital patient really, so in terms of doctor-patient confidentiality we were not told what the consultation was about," Baard said by telephone.

The Blood Diamond, due for release later this year and directed by Edward Zwick, is set amid the chaos of civil war. It is centred around two men who find a rare gem that can change their lives of dramatically opposite backgrounds.

Mozambique, a former Portuguese colony, is transforming its economy after emerging from nearly two decades of civil war in 1992, but remains one of the poorest countries in the world.

Security has been tight around DiCaprio during the filming, with photographers and journalists kept away from the location. Private security consultants have been backed up by Mozambique police in securing shooting locations.

Witnesses said shooting of the film went ahead on schedule on Saturday in downtown Maputo, where bullet-scarred buildings can still be found.

- Reuters