Jimmy Carter recovers after operation to fix broken hip

Former US President Jimmy Carter. Photo / Washington Post

Former US President Jimmy Carter is recovering from surgery after breaking his hip in a fall.

The Carter Centre in Atlanta said in a statement that Carter, 94, was leaving his home in Plains, Georgia, to go turkey hunting when he fell.

The former President is recovering at Phoebe Sumter Medical Centre in Americus, Georgia, after surgery that his surgeon said was successful. His wife, Rosalynn, has been with him.

"President Carter said his main concern is that turkey season ends this week, and he has not reached his limit," the Carter Centre said in its statement. "He hopes the state of Georgia will allow him to roll over the unused limit to next year."

In March, Carter surpassed George H.W. Bush as the longest-living president in US history.

Carter announced in 2015 that doctors had discovered a form of melanoma that had spread to his brain. "I just thought I had a few weeks left, but I was surprisingly at ease," Carter said at a news conference that August. "I've had an exciting and adventurous and gratifying existence."

He received his first radiation treatment at age 90, and four months later, he was - remarkably - cancer free.

Carter received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for work during and after his time in office. The former President remains engaged in the causes and activities that matter most, according to the Carter Centre: He participates in the centre's programmes in global peace and health and annual Habitat for Humanity builds.

Carter also continues to teach Sunday school lessons Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains. Several 2020 Democratic presidential hopefuls including Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey and Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana, have been among the recent attendees.