A HOMELESS man was set alight in Derry city centre at the weekend, Foyle MLA Mark H Durkan has said.
Mr Durkan said the man, believed to be in his sixties, was set alight in the Foyle Street area late on Sunday afternoon.
Several people quickly rushed to his aid, including passers-by, people from a nearby pub and workers at homeless shelter Damien House.
Mr Durkan described the attack as "disgusting" and "vile".
"It's a horrific thing to happen," he said. "People have been understandably shocked."
The SDLP MLA said the injured man was a well known figure in Derry.
He said the man was in shock following the attack and initially refused medical attention.
"All praise must go to the good Samaritans and people from Damien House who helped," he said.
"Thankfully he wasn't badly hurt, partly because he was wearing two pairs of trousers due to the cold weather."
Mr Durkan said the man cannot remember how the attack happened or how many people were involved.
He appealed to anyone who was in the area at the time of the accident to contact police.
"The police are examining CCTV (footage) and I would urge anybody with any information on who carried out this disgusting vile act to come forward," he said.
