Chinese language Man Denied Birthday Bash Amid Virus, Threatens To Blow Self

It was not immediately clear what punishments the man would face if convicted. (Representative)

Beijing:

A man in southwest China doused himself with gasoline and tied firecrackers around his waist because the authorities canceled his birthday banquet to prevent the spread of the corona virus.

The Chongqing resident, a 59-year-old surname Wang, had planned a 10-table banquet late last month, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported on Wednesday.

Since authorities across China restricted public gatherings to contain the outbreak, officials asked Wang to cancel the party.

Hundreds of millions of people across China face restrictions and interruptions in their lives due to efforts to curb the outbreak of the coronavirus, which has now infected over 44,600 people and killed over 1,100 people.

Beijing city government announced last week that parties and group meals in restaurants in the Chinese capital are temporarily banned to prevent the virus from spreading.

After his party was canceled, the Chongqing man appeared in a village committee office armed with fireworks that he tied around his waist, Xinhua said.

He also poured gasoline on his chest and held out a lighter to "scare the village committee and threaten to allow the birthday party."

Local prosecutors filed charges of disorderly behavior against Wang on Tuesday, Xinhua reported.

(Except for the headline, this story was not edited by NDTV staff and comes from a syndicated feed.)