A man
who had lost his job and feared he could no longer support his family doused
himself in alcohol and set himself on fire in front of the presidential palace
in Italy on Thursday. The 55-year-old Romanian severely burned his legs
and torso, but does not have life-threatening injuries, police said.
A police officer burned his hand trying to put out
the flames in the incident in Rome outside the 16th century palace, which
serves as residence and office for Italy's head of state, Giorgio NapolitanoThe Romanian, who lives in the northwest Italian
region of Piedmont, had recently lost his job as a truck driver and was
struggling to take care of his wife and baby girl, Italian media reported.
The country's year-long recession has been worsened
by tax rises and pension cuts introduced by Mario Monti's government to try to
help rein in the massive public debt. Unemployment is at its highest level
since monthly records began in 2004.
A wave of highly publicized suicides linked to
financial woes this year has highlighted the human cost of the crisis.
In August, a man set himself on fire in front of
the Italian parliament after battling unemployment, and died a week later.
A police officer burned his hand trying to put out the flames in the incident in Rome outside the 16th century palace, which serves as residence and office for Italy's head of state
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