Car slams into gate of Russian embassy in Romanian capital, killing driver

Video of the aftermath shows the sedan engulfed in flames in Bucharest

The motive behind the car’s ramming into the embassy’s boundary or other details are not immediately clear (Screengrab: Twitter/ sandipseth)

A car crashed into the gate of the Russian embassy in Romanian capital of Bucharest, bursting into flames and killing the driver, police said.

The sedan, engulfed in flames, was seen outside the embassy’s fence, as security personnel ran through the area.

It crashed into the fence outside the Russian embassy at around 6am on Wednesday but could not breach the building’s compound.

Police officials said that the firefighters who rushed to the scene of incident were able to douse the blaze started by the car crash but the driver died at the scene.

The motive behind the car’s ramming into the embassy’s boundary or other details are not immediately clear.

An investigation into the incident is underway, police officials said but did not release the identity of the driver.

Ukraine’s european neighbour Romania has taken in more than 600,000 refugees since 24 February, the day Russian troops entered the Ukrainian territory for a large-scale invasion.

On Tuesday, Romanian administration expelled 10 diplomats in response to a string of expulsions of Russian officials from the 27-nation bloc.

The actions of 10 embassy workers, who have been declared persona non grata, “contravene the provisions of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relationships,” the Romanian foreign ministry said.

Similar expulsions were announced by Spain, Italy, Sweden and Denmark earlier on Tuesday, and several other countries in previous days.

Protestors have been gathering outside Russian embassy in the capital and across European cities seeking an end to Vladimir Putin-led invasion of its former Soviet territory.