Greek policeman kills himself after fatal accident

Athens: Greek authorities say an off-duty policeman shot himself dead out of remorse after knocking over and killing an elderly woman in a traffic accident in Athens.

A police statement said the policeman committed suicide with his service handgun "clearly because of" the accident in the Greek capital`s Halandri suburb yesterday. The circumstances under which the policeman hit the pedestrian with his motorcycle as she was trying to cross a busy road were not clear. Witnesses quoted by Greek media said that immediately after the crash he walked into a parking lot and shot himself. Public Order Minister Nikos Dendias today he felt "crushed" by the accident and expressed sympathy for both bereaved families.