Woman fighting for life after being set on fire while riding tram
A woman is in a life-threatening condition in hospital after a man doused her in a liquid and set her alight while she rode a tram in eastern Germany.
The attacker, who police believe may have been her husband, was able to escape after passengers hit the emergency button to stop the tram.
No one else is thought to have been injured in the incident.
The driver of the tram acted quickly after noticing the flames and used a fire extinguisher to help, a police spokeswoman said.
An air ambulance was used to take the 46-year-old woman to the hospital.
A manhunt is now underway for the person behind the attack, with the husband – also aged 46 – the chief target for the search.
The incident took place in Gera, a city around 40 miles south of Leipzig in Thuringia, at around 10am today local time.
No motivation has been established, and it is still unknown what liquid was poured over the woman.
The police spokeswoman said the driver and other passengers had been offered psychological care.
News of the attack came after an arsonist set a man on fire in New York City’s Times Square in the early hours of this morning.
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The man was left with burns across his arms and face, with police unsure if the incident was targeted or random.
Steve Ortiz, a nearby resident, told Eyewitness News: ‘I don’t understand, just very inhumane. Especially in the middle of Times Square, it’s crazy, it doesn’t make any sense.’
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