A middle-aged man burnt himself to death on Tuesday afternoon in the centre of Cartagena, police sources said. He could not overcome the severe burns and died on the spot. What happened is reminiscent of what happened a decade ago in the capital of the region, when a man set himself on fire in the Avenida de la Libertad in Murcia and also died.
Witnesses to the incident in the port city explain that the man doused himself with petrol and set himself on fire with a lighter in Santa Florentina street. Some passers-by tried to put out the flames, using clothes and even a fire extinguisher. He was left unconscious, badly burned and lying on the ground. Those present called the emergency services.
An ambulance was mobilised to the scene, as well as police officers and members of the Cartagena Fire Brigade. The ambulance crews were only able to confirm his death.
What happened caused a great impact among the people who witnessed it. «Awe, horrifying, at first I thought it was a Carnival attraction,» one witness wrote on social media, adding that what happened «looked like a science fiction film».