Jimmy Carter hospitalized for dehydration during Habitat build

close

Video

Jimmy Carter hospitalized for dehydration

Former president suffers dehydration while working at a Habitat for Humanity site

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter was hospitalized Thursday in Canada after suffering dehydration while working at a build site for Habitat for Humanity.

Habitat for Humanity said in a statement that Carter, 92, was "dehydrated working in the hot sun." He was building houses at the site in Winnipeg.

FORMER PRESIDENT CARTER SHAKES PASSENGERS' HAND ABOARD ATLANTA FLIGHT

"President Carter told us he is okay and is being taken offsite for observation. He encourages everyone to stay hydrated and keep building," a spokesman for Habitat for Humanity said.

The former president was taken to the hospital as a precaution, and his wife, Rosalynn, was by his side, the Carter Center said in a statement.

Carter and his wife are in the middle of a weeklong project building houses in various Canadian cities.

This week's build is the 34th time the Carters have volunteered to build houses for the Atlanta-based charity.

In August 2016, Carter revealed he was diagnosed with melanoma that had spread to his brain. He announced last May he no longer needed treatment for the cancer diagnosis, but will "resume treatment if necessary."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.