Two More Bulgarians Set Themselves Alight

A 41-year-old unemployed father doused himself with fuel and set himself ablaze in the northeastern village of Sitovo on Wednesday, state radio reported on Wednesday.

The man, who was hospitalized with 90-degree burns, told doctors that he acted out of despair.

"I am fed up, there's no bread, I cannot stand this anymore,” the man kept repeating, according to hospital director Daniela Kostadinova.

A 59-year-old miner is also fighting for his life with 30-per-cent burns after setting himself on fire on Monday in the mining town of Bobov Dol, in eastern Bulgaria.

The man, who was recently sacked, reportedly called his wife right before the incident to tell her that he felt useless.

He then set himself ablaze in the presence of their son, who managed to put the fire out with his jacket, radio reports said.

Five other Bulgarians have set themselves on fire in the past month, at a time when citizens have been protesting against high bills, low wages and corruption. Four have since died of their injuries.

One of the men who set himself on fire, 36-year-old Plamen Goranov, voiced overtly political demands, becoming a symbol of the rallies that prompted the right-wing government to resign last month.

The Bulgarian Orthodox Church, the main denomination in the country, last week condemned self-immolations, insisting that people should seek other solutions to their problems.