Chinese pop star set on fire in cafe after dispute with friend
WARNING - GRAPHIC CONTENT: A Chinese pop star can be seen running down a set of stairs completely engulfed by flames in a disturbing video that has emerged online.
Tang Anqi arrived at the Shanghai Boashan Wanda café at 7pm on March 1 and within one hour, her body was on fire, People’s Daily reports.
The singer suffered burns to 80 per cent of her body following a dispute with a friend inside at a cafe.
The star's friend and the manager of the cafe both said Tang wasn’t in the best mood on the night.
"She [Tang] was quite aggressive and in a bad mood,” the café's manager said.
According to reports, a staff member took a chocolate cake to the table and Tang refused it, saying it was “ugly".
Not long after the rude remark, the star ran down the stairs, screaming for help and completely engulfed in flames.
Authorities believe the 23-year-old had a dispute with her friend and a lighter was what “accidentally” set the girl on fire.
“She seemed to be fiddling with the lighter then. But none of us know what exactly took place as the staffers were all on the first floor of the store while the woman and her friend was staying on the second floor,” director of the cafe, Wen, told Shanghai Daily.
The restaurant's manager said Tang was wearing stockings, which is what caused the fire to spread so quickly up her body.
He tried to help her before calling emergency services, then she was taken to ICU at the Changhai Hospital of Shanghai.
A doctor told the publication that Tang has woken up and she is currently not in danger.
The table where Tang was sitting was a in a corner and a blind spot to security cameras, so the moment she was set on fire was not able to be captured.
Tang’s friend has not been identified and the incident is under investigation.
The café posted a statement on social media page explaining the incident:
"A girl set on fire when inside the café, it only took a few seconds for the flames to spread from her hair to her body. The staff and emergency services responded as quickly as they could.”
Tang is a member of popular Chinese idol girl group, SNH48 and joined the group in 2012.
The group sings, dances and perform in theatres across China and Japan.
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