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CNN Sunday Morning

French TV Reporter Covering U.S. Military Exercise Killed

Aired December 22, 2002 - 10:34   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


RENAY SAN MIGUEL, CNN ANCHOR: Thousands of American troops are in the Kuwaiti desert this hour sharpening their combat skills. And as the U.S. Army conducts the exercises, there is word a French TV reporter covering the story has been killed. CNN's Ryan Chilcote is with us from -- via videophone from Kuwait City -- Ryan.
RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Patrick Bourrat was one of France's most celebrated journalists, television correspondents. He was out there covering that live fire -- a live fire exercise when he was hit by a tank. The U.S. Army airlifted him out. They knew he had some rib injuries, but they hoped he was OK. Tragically, overnight he passed away.

Those were some of the -- those were the largest live fire exercises in the Persian Gulf since the Gulf War. There were more than 4,000 U.S. troops out there, more than 100 armored vehicles moving around, so a lot of moving parts -- back to you.

SAN MIGUEL: Are we hearing anything from the U.S. Army officials there concerning how this happened and why he was, you know, so close to jeopardy, I guess you might want to -- you might say? I understand he moved out from behind his cameraman to try to get a closer look when the accident occurred. Have we heard any more explanation about this?

CHILCOTE: Well, sure, it's a real tragic event. Actually, he was standing next to an obstacle in the middle of the battlefield when he saw some tanks coming. He thought that perhaps his cameraman was in danger. He went running to his cameraman to warn him to get out of the way. It was then that he, himself, was hit by a tank. So it's ironic and very tragic that he, himself, was trying to save or rescue his cameraman from a tank that was -- that he thought was moving in the direction of his cameraman when he, himself, was hit by a tank.

SAN MIGUEL: And we certainly do not want to minimize the tragedy there but there is the bigger story, the bigger picture going on about any potential war with Iraq and the need for these training exercises. We heard from officials how -- you know, any kind of report on how the exercises are doing?

CHILCOTE: Well, the U.S. military says those exercises are going well. The goal of those exercises is, of course, to give the U.S. military leadership an opportunity to practice moving all those parts, all of those armored vehicles and all of those troops just south of the Iraqi border. Remember these exercises are taking place less than six miles from the border with Iraq. Obviously, at the same time these exercises, the U.S. military hopes are sending a message to Saddam Hussein that Saddam, if you do not agree to the U.N., if you do not cooperate with the U.N. inspection team, then this is what awaits you, while preparing those U.S. forces for any possible invasion into Iraq -- back to you.

SAN MIGUEL: Ryan Chilcote reporting live from Kuwait, thank you very much for that report.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired December 22, 2002 - 10:34   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RENAY SAN MIGUEL, CNN ANCHOR: Thousands of American troops are in the Kuwaiti desert this hour sharpening their combat skills. And as the U.S. Army conducts the exercises, there is word a French TV reporter covering the story has been killed. CNN's Ryan Chilcote is with us from -- via videophone from Kuwait City -- Ryan.
RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Patrick Bourrat was one of France's most celebrated journalists, television correspondents. He was out there covering that live fire -- a live fire exercise when he was hit by a tank. The U.S. Army airlifted him out. They knew he had some rib injuries, but they hoped he was OK. Tragically, overnight he passed away.

Those were some of the -- those were the largest live fire exercises in the Persian Gulf since the Gulf War. There were more than 4,000 U.S. troops out there, more than 100 armored vehicles moving around, so a lot of moving parts -- back to you.

SAN MIGUEL: Are we hearing anything from the U.S. Army officials there concerning how this happened and why he was, you know, so close to jeopardy, I guess you might want to -- you might say? I understand he moved out from behind his cameraman to try to get a closer look when the accident occurred. Have we heard any more explanation about this?

CHILCOTE: Well, sure, it's a real tragic event. Actually, he was standing next to an obstacle in the middle of the battlefield when he saw some tanks coming. He thought that perhaps his cameraman was in danger. He went running to his cameraman to warn him to get out of the way. It was then that he, himself, was hit by a tank. So it's ironic and very tragic that he, himself, was trying to save or rescue his cameraman from a tank that was -- that he thought was moving in the direction of his cameraman when he, himself, was hit by a tank.

SAN MIGUEL: And we certainly do not want to minimize the tragedy there but there is the bigger story, the bigger picture going on about any potential war with Iraq and the need for these training exercises. We heard from officials how -- you know, any kind of report on how the exercises are doing?

CHILCOTE: Well, the U.S. military says those exercises are going well. The goal of those exercises is, of course, to give the U.S. military leadership an opportunity to practice moving all those parts, all of those armored vehicles and all of those troops just south of the Iraqi border. Remember these exercises are taking place less than six miles from the border with Iraq. Obviously, at the same time these exercises, the U.S. military hopes are sending a message to Saddam Hussein that Saddam, if you do not agree to the U.N., if you do not cooperate with the U.N. inspection team, then this is what awaits you, while preparing those U.S. forces for any possible invasion into Iraq -- back to you.

SAN MIGUEL: Ryan Chilcote reporting live from Kuwait, thank you very much for that report.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com