January 6, 2014 -- Updated 2023 GMT (0423 HKT)

Angela Merkel fractures pelvis skiing

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Angela Merkel fractures pelvis in skiing accident in Switzerland over winter holiday
• Her injuries are not serious, and she will make a full recovery, a spokesman says
• Merkel will need help walking and will cancel some commitments, spokesman says

(CNN) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel fractured her pelvis in a skiing accident in Switzerland over the holidays, her spokesman told reporters Monday.

Merkel was cross-country skiing when the accident occurred. Spokesman Steffen Seibert did not disclose the date of the incident, but said her injuries are not thought to be serious and it is thought she will make a full recovery.

Merkel, who has been Chancellor of Germany since 2005, will need aid to walk over the next few weeks and will be canceling some of her commitments, Seibert said.

Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) said it will delay its party retreat, originally slated for January 10-11, as a result of her accident.

The news of Merkel's fall comes just eight days after her fellow countryman Michael Schumacher, the most successful driver in Formula One history, was critically injured while skiing in the French Alps .

Schumacher, who fell and hit his head on rocks while skiing off-piste on December 29 in Meribel, has undergone two operations and is in a medically induced coma. The German racing legend remains in a critical but stable condition, according to his manager.