Greeks pay tribute to bank workers killed in riots

People have laid flowers and lit candles to commemorate the lives of three bank workers killed after Greek anger over new austerity measures erupted into riots.

Protesters denouncing the latest economic reforms threw petrol bombs at a bank branch in Athens on Wednesday.

Tens of thousands of Greeks took to the streets of the capital, clashing with police, who responded with repeated rounds of tear gas and flash bombs.

Three people, including a pregnant woman, died in the worst violence the country has seen since riots in 2008.

Police say the two women and a man, aged between 30 and 40, working in a Marfin bank branch, choked to death after protesters broke the windows of the building and tossed in petrol bombs.

The rioting and deaths are a blow to the Greek's Prime Minister's plans to push through tough budget cuts demanded by the European Union and International Monetary Fund in exchange for a multi-billion euro aid package.

George Papandreou has expressed shock at the deaths and vowed to bring those responsible to justice.