A Bulgarian man who set himself on fire earlier this week died today, taking to six the total number of deaths in a recent wave of protests in the EU's poorest country.
Ventsislav Kozarev, 47, who set himself on fire with petrol in the southern town of Smolyan on Wednesday, succumbed to his injuries in the afternoon, the hospital treating him said. He was said to be distraught after recently divorcing his wife.
Bulgaria has seen a spate of similar incidents in recent weeks in a wave of angry and sometimes violent protests against poverty and corruption that in late February prompted prime minister Boyko Borisov to resign.
Five of the other six men who set themselves on fire also died. Only three of those who set themselves ablaze had voiced any political demands while the rest were reportedly driven by poverty and despair.
The small Balkan country will hold snap elections on May 12 with Borisov's GERB party tipped to win the vote but fall short of a governing majority.
