Minister unscathed as icicle falls on his head

Minister unscathed as icicle falls on his head

MAJDANPEK -- An icicle fell on the head of Energy Minister Aleksandar Antic in the town of Majdanpek on Thursday, but he escaped unharmed.

The minister was wearing a hard hat and thus avoided injury - but the hat fell off Antic's head and cracked when the icicle hit, while he lost balance and was steadied by an associate standing by.

The accident happened as he was addressing reporters.

Antic was in Majdanpek visiting workers of the electric power grid company EMS who are working to repair transmission lines damaged by the severe weather.

The minister told reporters that the accident demonstrated the conditions under which the EMS teams are working, and added:

"Icicles are falling from poles, from trees - I have an enormous amount of respect for these people."