UPDATE 3-German minister Altmaier breaks nose in tumble from stage

German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier was briefly unconscious after tumbling from the stage at a conference on Tuesday, suffering a broken nose as well as cuts and bruises, an official familiar with the situation said.

The minister, 61, tripped while descending from the podium at the end of his speech to a conference on Germany's digital strategy in the city of Dortmund. Television footage showed Altmaier stepping down from the podium and then cut to the audience applauding before they gasped and their hands went to their mouths at the sight of his fall.

Medics, including a doctor in the audience, rushed to his aid and he was later taken to hospital. The Economy Ministry said in a statement: "Economy Minister Altmaier tripped on the stairs and fell when he was leaving the stage at the digital summit today."

Officials said Altmaier, a close ally of Chancellor Angela Merkel, would not attend Wednesday's session of the federal cabinet in Berlin. Fellow ministers wished him a speedy recovery on Twitter.

"A good, quick and complete recovery, dear Peter Altmaier," Europe minister Michael Roth wrote on Twitter. A pro-European, Altmaier has been a strong advocate of Franco-German initiatives to help Europe's heavy industries respond to challenge from digital upstarts from China and the United States.