A man holding a Tibetan flag died after setting himself on fire outside the United Nations headquarters in New York on Thursday.
Video footage circulating on social media, filmed opposite the UN complex on First Avenue, showed a man walking with a large Tibetan flag near a traffic signal as a black SUV passed by.
The man has been identified the as Tibetan activist Lobga Rangzen.
In subsequent frames, the man is seen engulfed in flames as thick black smoke rises into the sky, with vehicles passing by.
Later visuals show a person attempting to douse the fire with what appears to be an extinguisher, followed by uniformed personnel gathered around the scene amid continuing smoke, as a bus and SUV stood parked along the road.
Law enforcement responded to a 911 call around 6:30 p.m. and found a 52-year-old man with severe burns across his body, a New York Police Department spokesperson told CNN. He was taken to hospital and later pronounced dead, according to the report.
Police said they could not immediately comment on why the man set himself on fire and that an investigation was under way, with his identity yet to be officially confirmed by authorities.
A separate video reportedly posted around the same time on the same Facebook account showed the man calling on Tibetans to unite for "the independence of Tibet," accusing the Chinese government of pursuing policies aimed at eroding Tibetan identity, culture and language.
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Dozens of self-immolations have been linked to protests against Chinese rule over Tibet in recent decades with Tibet's government-in-exile, though such acts remain highly unusual on American soil.
The incident came days after China enacted a new ethnic unity law on 1 July expanding Mandarin-language mandates in minority regions, which Tibetan activists have said deepens fears of cultural erasure.
A UN spokesperson said the incident occurred after scheduled meetings had concluded and that no UN business was affected, CNN reported, citing the Associated Press.
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