Man sets himself on fire at airport after ‘argument with wife’ on phone: ‘He may have been drunk’

Staff at Almaty International Airport in Kazakhstan were left horrified after a man set himself on fire inside the terminal. Footage of the incident, showing the man engulfed in flames, has gone viral on social media.

Why did the man act this way?

According to Tengrin News, the man, believed to be drunk, had missed his last train home and asked staff for help to catch a flight. He later entered a travel agency office at the airport and requested a phone to call his wife. Their conversation reportedly turned into an argument, after which he asked the staff to leave.

“He had argued with his wife and missed his train. His tickets had expired. He came here to exchange them for plane tickets, demanding that railway tickets be swapped for airline ones. Some say he may have been drunk,” a police officer told Tengrin News.

What does the video show?

The viral video shows the man dousing himself in gasoline before setting himself alight and rushing towards shocked airport staff. Onlookers attempted to put out the flames with a fire extinguisher, while the man lay on the floor moaning in pain.

He was taken to a nearby hospital and remains in critical condition. “His condition is extremely serious. He is receiving full treatment in accordance with the Ministry of Healthcare’s clinical protocol,” said the Almaty Public Health Department.

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The boss of the travel agency office said: “He came in, asked for a phone, started calling someone on it, said that he missed his flight, and then poured gasoline on himself. Our agent asked permission to leave, he let her out, and then set himself on fire,” the CEO told the Sun.

The CEO of the travel agency praised the employee’s quick thinking. “Our brave employee Ksenia, it’s good that she didn’t panic, she worked clearly and quickly,” he said. “He didn’t ask to change the ticket, he just asked for a phone number. We don’t know him, he’s just a client, the agent didn’t have a conflict with him.”

Authorities have launched an investigation. It is unclear how the man brought gasoline into the airport. The incident occurred on the evening of 25 August.