Man seriously injured after setting fire to his car near Japanese Embassy

By Yonhap

Published : July 19, 2019 - 09:43

A man in his 70s suffered burns all over his body after setting fire to his car as it was parked in front of a building housing the Japanese Embassy in Seoul on Friday, police said.

The man maneuvered his car onto the sidewalk in front of the entrance of the building and set fire to the inside of the vehicle around 3:24 a.m. according to police. Inside the car inflammable materials including butane gas were found.

(Yonhap)

The fire was extinguished in 10 minutes and the man, who had suffered severe burns, was rushed to a nearby hospital. Rescuers noticed he was breathing but had difficulty communicating with them.

Police are looking into the man's motive for the immolation using witness accounts and CCTV images captured nearby. (Yonhap)