India, July 3 -- A man holding a Tibetan flag died after setting himself on fire outside the United Nations headquarters in New York on Thursday in what appeared to be a protest against Chinese rule over Tibet, according to media reports.

Law enforcement officers responded to a 911 call at around 6:30 p.m. local time and found a 52-year-old man with severe burns across his body, a spokesperson for the New York City Police Department told CNN.

The man was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Videos circulating on social media appeared to show the man setting himself on fire while holding a Tibetan flag. Reuters reported that it could not independently verify the authenticity of the videos.

The incident came a day a...