A man carrying a Tibetan flag set himself on fire outside the United Nations headquarters in Manhattan, New York City, on Thursday evening in an apparent act of protest, according to officials and local media reports.
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The protester was identified by a friend as Lobga Rangzen, who had reportedly been living in the US for about 20 years. The incident occurred at around 7 pm near East 43rd Street and First Avenue in New York City, as reported by NY Post.
Surveillance footage showed Rangzen, dressed in traditional monastic robes, placing a Tibetan flag on the sidewalk before setting himself on fire along the busy street during the evening rush. He collapsed to the ground less than a minute after being engulfed in flames as traffic continued to pass by, with several vehicles sounding their horns.
Police officers and security personnel rushed to the scene and extinguished the flames within 15 seconds. The man was taken to Bellevue Hospital where he was pronounced dead, officials said. Meanwhile, the Tibetan flag remained at the scene for about an hour as police cordoned off the area and carried out their investigation.
Police at the scene were seen collecting leaflets, including one bearing the slogan "China Out of Tibet", a message commonly associated with the Tibetan independence movement, also known as the Free Tibet campaign.
A UN spokesperson said the incident happened after all scheduled meetings were finished for the day.
According to advocacy group Free Tibet, more than 150 Tibetans have self-immolated since 2009 in protest against what they describe as Chinese rule over Tibet.
