A man from Ivory Coast doused himself with fuel and set himself on fire at Rome's Fiumicino airport today after showing officials a deportation order, police said.

The incident occurred in a customs police office in Terminal 3 of the airport, Italy's largest. Police said the man had poured a canister of fuel over himself and ignited it with a lighter.

The man was taken to hospital in serious condition while a policeman who put out the flames sustained a burn to his arm.

The smoke caused alarm among travellers and a small part of the airport was briefly closed off. No other injuries or disruption were reported.

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