Three men set themselves on fire in downtown Beijing

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-02-25 17:34

BEIJING, February 25 -- Three men set themselves on fire in downtown Beijing Wednesday afternoon, a Beijing government spokesman said.

They sat in a vehicle and ignited themselves around 3 pm at the crossing of Wangfujing and Chang'an avenues, the spokesman said.

An eyewitness, who declined to be named, said two of the men from the car were taken away by police and the other man left in an ambulance.

The motive of the self-immolation and the men's identities were not available at the moment.

Wangfujing is a renowned street for shopping. Chang'an is the main east-west thoroughfare in the heart of Beijing.