Update: The Romanian Gendarmerie said on Wednesday that the driver set himself on fire when gendarmes guarding the Embassy tried to get him out of the car. “Around 06:00, a car deliberately entered the security zone set up around the Embassy. It hit the pedestrian protection fence and continued to drive to the access gates without passing them. The gendarmes guarding the diplomatic mission intervened promptly and tried to get the driver out from the vehicle, at which point he set himself on fire,” the Gendarmerie announced in a Facebook message. 

Initial story: A car crashed into the gate of the Russian Embassy in Bucharest early Wednesday morning, April 6. The vehicle caught fire after the impact, and the driver could not be saved.

“This morning around 06:00, an event was reported involving a car that left the road and hit the fence of a diplomatic mission. The driver died, and the firefighters intervened to put out the fire,” the Bucharest Police said in a press release.

Traffic has been restricted on Kiseleff Road as the police are investigating the causes of the incident. It’s yet unclear whether the crash was an accident or deliberate.

According to Digi24, the driver was identified as Bogdan Draghici, the head of the TATA association, who has been charged with sexual assault.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(Opening photo: Inquam Photos/Octav Ganea)