(Sept. 20) -- A father left homeless by Pakistan's devastating floods died today, a day after setting himself on fire outside the prime minister's private residence, where the man had come to beg for help.
Mohammad Akram, 30, doused himself with gasoline and lighted a match in front of Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani's home in Multan, about 260 miles northeast of the capital city of Islamabad. Witnesses said the man, an unemployed security guard, shouted that he was sick of his life and of not being able to find a job, The Associated Press reported.
Aaron Favila, AP
Pakistani men arrange their belongings along a flooded area on Monday as waters slowly recede in parts of Hamayun village in southern Pakistan.
His family told police that he had been looking for work since May and became despondent after his family's home washed away last month during the worst flooding in Pakistan's history. The father of four lived in a village more than 90 miles from the prime minister's house in Punjab province, according to Agence France-Presse.
He suffered burns on more than 95 percent of his body and died 18 hours after being transported to a hospital, Pakistan media reported. Gilani was not home when security guards pushed Akram away from the house. After being rebuffed, he ignited himself.
The prime minister called the family to express his condolences. He offered them 500,000 rupees -- 5,900 in U.S. dollars -- as compensation, according to the AP.
Akram was hoping to get a job recommendation from Gilani, according to AFP.
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Pakistan has been severely criticized for its response to the massive flooding in August. Triggered by heavy monsoons, raging waters destroyed more than 25 percent of the country's farmland, killed more than 1,750 and left more than 20 million homeless, Pakistan's official news agency reported.
The impoverished country, already faced with $55 billion in debts, now teeters on the brink of economic collapse, the Los Angeles Times reported Sunday.
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