Three killed in bank blaze during Greece riots

THREE people died in a blaze at an Athens bank today during rioting over government spending cuts.

• Greek riot policemen clash with protestors on the streets of Athens. Picture: AFP/Getty Images

An estimated 100,000 people took to the streets during a nationwide wave of strikes against spending cuts aimed at saving Greece from bankruptcy.

Protesters hurled Molotov cocktails at police and buildings. At least two buildings were on fire, while hundreds of people were involved in running clashes with riot police.

The government agreed to drastic budget cuts to win bail-out loans from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund.

The fire brigade said the bodies were found in the wreckage of a Marfin Bank branch which had been fire-bombed by protesters on the route of the march in the city centre.

At least two other buildings were on fire. Hundreds of people clashed with police as others marched peacefully during nationwide strikes to protest at austerity measures imposed as a condition of bail-out loans from the International Monetary Fund and other eurozone governments to keep heavily indebted Greece from defaulting on its debts.

Demonstrators chanting "thieves, thieves" attempted to break through a riot police cordon guarding Parliament and chased the ceremonial guards away from the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in front of the building.