A man has survived after leaping from a balcony in the Romanian parliament, apparently in protest over budget cuts that had affected his family.
The man was not seriously injured.
A loud thud reverberated in the chamber after the man, Adrian Sobaru - identified by the country's public television station as one of its engineers - hit the benches shortly after Prime Minister Emil Boc had greeted MPs.
According to local media, Sobaru has a disabled child, whose welfare has been impacted by recent government cuts.
Sobaru sustained face wounds, and other non life-threatening injuries, according to medical staff at the University Hospital. He will undergo surgery and psychological counselling, they said.
The images show Sobaru wearing a white T-shirt, with the words: "You've pierced us. You've killed our children's future. Freedom," in a reference to government policy.
The government survived a no-confidence motion over spending cuts despite the incident.
Romania is mired in recession and it recently slashed public sector wages by one-fourth. The economy is expected to decline by 2 per cent this year, after it contracted by 7.1 percent in 2009.
