Elderly woman dies after being set ablaze

An 81-year-old woman died in a hospital in Didymoteicho, northern Greece, on Thursday due to severe burns she sustained when her 56-year-old son doused her and himself in petrol before setting them both alight.

According to police sources, the man told his mother that he planned to commit suicide and the 81-year-old, who is blind and bedridden, asked him to kill her too. The pair lived together and were both taking medication for serious psychological problems, the same sources said.

After splashing himself and his mother with petrol and setting them ablaze, the 56-year-old apparently regretted his action and tried to put out the flames. The fire had been doused by the time the local fire service came to the pair’s home but the woman had suffered major injuries.

The 56-year-old was being treated for burns to his arms and legs but his injuries were not life-threatening, medics said.