WARNING: This article contains content some readers may find distressing.
A man has died after setting himself on fire at a subway station in Brazil.
Emergency services rushed to the station in downtown São Paulo around 9 a.m. on Friday, May 30, as onlookers watched the self-immolation in horror.
Some fled the scene in fear, while others rushed to help the 74-year-old man at the 1-Blue Metro line.
Highlights
- A 74-year-old man set himself on fire at a subway station in São Paulo, Brazil, causing panic among commuters.
- Eyewitnesses described the man walking while fully engulfed in flames, with some fleeing and others trying to help.
- Multiple bystanders used fire extinguishers to put out the flames before security guards arrived on the scene.
- The man was rushed to a hospital but died from his injuries.
- Police labeled the incident as self-harm; unconfirmed reports suggest the man may have been homeless.
Shocking footage shows the man setting himself on fire
Eyewitness Wellington Castello said he was on his way to work when he got off at the São Bento station around 9:10 a.m. and heard an explosion.
The explosion—described as similar to the noise when you light a barbecue—was a man setting himself on fire.
“I looked and saw the man on fire from head to toe. He wasn’t screaming, he was just walking with his hands open,” he said.
“Then, a guy grabbed a fire extinguisher and ran, I grabbed another one, and another came from the other side with one too.
“The fire wouldn’t go out, it took a few seconds... soon the security guards arrived... I realized that the security guards would take care of it.”
During the ordeal, Castello said people ran in terror while others filmed the incident, but by the time security guards arrived, the fire had mostly been extinguished.
“Very sad and desperate in reality... some were filming, others ran away, and few wanted to put out the fire and help,” he said.
“But the smoke spread quickly. The fire was frightening, and the man looked like a torch, only for God’s sake... it was despair!”
The man was quickly transported to hospital for treatment.
“Because of the smoke, I didn't stay there for long... it took over everything,” Castello added.
“And I have asthma, so as soon as the fire went out and the security guards arrived, I went up to leave the station. A little scared, and coughing because of the smoke, which was so heavy.”
The man succumbed to his injuries at a local hospital
Image credits: João Scarpi
It is understood that the man drank a flammable liquid and poured it over his body, then set himself ablaze.
Terrifying footage shows the man standing on the platform engulfed in flames as he appears to show no reaction to being alight.
Members of the public can be seen rushing to help with fire extinguishers and assisting to put out the fire.
After the blaze is extinguished, the man is seen to stand and sway in a dazed-like state.
He was taken to Hospital São Paulo, where he later succumbed to his injuries, CBN reported.
Unconfirmed reports have suggested the man was homeless.
The Metropolitan Police Station registered the incident as a case of self-harm and said no one else was injured.