A man in his mid 50s set light to himself yesterday morning in the toilets in the triage area of an A&E Department of a hospital in Madrid.
The 57-year-old man was is in the Intensive Care Unit in Marques de Valdecilla Hospital. Given the severity of his burns he might be transferred to the specialised hospital for burns, Burn Unit belonging to Cruces Hospitalin Vizcaya.
The incident took place around 10.35h yesterday morning when a homeless man, who often goes to be treated there for his ailments, told staff that he was feeling very bad. After being examined and prescribed medication, he was ‘sent home.’
Before leaving the hospital, he purchased a coffee from a vending machine and left, only to come back several minutes later. He went to the public toilets, locked himself in and then set light to himself.
Staff and other patients we startled, to say the least, when a man burst out of the toilet in flames. Somebody acted quickly and pulled him to the floor, smothering the flames. From there he was rushed to the ICU.
(News: Madrid)