A 50-year-old pensioner who set herself on fire in a United Russia office in Novosibirsk has died from injuries sustained during the blaze.
Valentina Gerasimova, apparently aggrieved over advice she received from party officials regarding a housing dispute, passed away Saturday evening in a Novosibirsk hospital after falling into a coma, Siberian news portal Sib.fm reported, citing a neighbor.
Gerasimova had suffered burns over 90 percent of her body after pouring fuel over herself and igniting it with a cigarette lighter in one of the ruling party's Novosibirsk branches Wednesday.
United Russia employee Oleg Puchkov, 42, received burns on 13 percent of his body while trying to extinguish the flames. It was not clear Sunday how Puchkov's recovery was progressing.
Investigators have opened a criminal case with potential charges of driving Gerasimova to commit suicide, which carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison. No suspects have been named.
