A diplomat and another staff member were critically injured when a blaze broke out at the Indonesian embassy in Rome and rapidly gutted the building early on Wednesday, engulfing it in thick black smoke.
The first secretary at the embassy was rushed to hospital after he lost his balance and fell from the window of his office on the second floor of the building trying to escape the fire, while a second member of staff was treated for severe smoke inhalation.
The diplomat had tried to lower himself down from his office window by its curtains, but these ripped and gave way, causing him to plummet to the ground below.
The Indonesian ambassador's residence which is adjacent to the embassy, was not damaged by the blaze. At the time the fire broke out, there were only four people inside the building.
The street in the upscale Via Veneto area where the embassy is located was immediately sealed off by police as firefighters battled the blaze, causing rush hour traffic snarl-ups in the area.
Investigators believe the fire may have been caused by a short-circuit in a room housing documents and photocopiers on the first floor of the building, which was in the process of being renovated.
