Three dead after fire - bomb hits bank during Greek riots
Three
dead fire bomb hit bank greek riot
<m> Three </m> dead after fire - bomb hits bank during Greek riots
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<m> Three </m> dead after fire - bomb hits bank during Greek riots
A FIRE - BOMB attack on a bank in Athens left at least three people dead as police fought pitched battles with striking protesters furious at brutal spending cuts designed to avoid national bankruptcy .
Hooded youths hurled petrol bombs at stores and businesses in the Greek capital , setting the bank and two government buildings ablaze .
Protesters also tried to storm the Greek Parliament and the rioting spread to Greece's second city , Thessaloniki .
Police said at least three people , a man and two women , were killed in the fire - bomb attack .
Firefighters said as many as 20 people had been inside the bank .
It was unclear if the dead were customers or bank employees .
Two buildings , one used by tax officials and another by regional authorities , also caught fire .
Greek President Carolos Papoulias condemned the violence , saying the debt - hit country had "reached the edge of the abyss" .
"Our country has reached the edge of the abyss .
It is the responsibility of us all to not take the step into the void .
"What is at stake in coming days is to keep social cohesion and social peace . "
Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou said the firebombing was a "raw murderous act" .
Athens underground stations were shuttered and the international airport deserted as tens of thousands of union members rallied on the eve of a vote in parliament on the planned cuts and tax hikes .
The general strike was the first major test of the Socialist government's resolve to push through unprecedented measures since agreeing a ����110 billion ( $158 billion ) EU and IMF debt bailout over the weekend .
Prime Minister George Papandreou's insistence that the measures are vital for the nation's survival failed to dissuade unions from paralysing public transport , grounding air traffic and preventing ferries from leaving docks .
After rallying in two separate demonstrations in central Athens , members of the main unions began converging on parliament , where the Government was preparing for the measures to be voted on Thursday .