KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA: A 73-year-old man is in a serious condition after having accidentally burnt himself in Taman Mastika yesterday following an argument with his younger brother over RM35,000 owed to him.

Chai Boon Fong was warded at the intensive care unit of a hospital here with burns to his head and torso after the 9am incident.

He was believed to have spilt kerosene on himself while pouring it on an old tyre and some clothes in front of his brother's shop.

When Chai lit the tyre and clothes, the flames engulfed him. Another shop owner managed to put out the flames and rushed him to hospital.

It is understood that Chai had gone to his brother's shop to get back the RM35,000 the latter borrowed from him in 1991.

However, the brother refused to repay the loan. It was then that Chai lost his cool and decided to burn the tyre and clothes.

District police chief Assistant Commissioner Abd Jalil Hassan said police hoped to question Chai once he had recovered. He urged witnesses to contact the RakanCop hotline at 03-21159999.