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An elderly man died while waiting in line at a bank branch in Thessaloniki. Thousands of taxpayers were queuing today at banks in Greece to pay the new single property tax. The Greek man, aged around 70, was also waiting at a branch of the National Bank of Greece on Gr. Lambraki Street in the Thessaloniki Toumba neighbourhood.

Eyewitnesses of the incident claim that the man felt ill and fainted. The emergency unit was immediately called, its team arrived and the old man was taken to Papanicolaou hospital where he died despite the efforts of doctors.

The prosecutor’s office in Thessaloniki has been notified of the incident.

In a statement in connection with the death of the 70-year-old man, Dimitris Spyropoulos, spokesman of the National Bank, notes that "having entered the bank branch, the man sat down in order to avoid waiting standing in the line but ten minutes later he fainted. An order to empty the hall was immediately issued and the emergency unit notified. Its team arrived immediately to drive the man to the hospital."

Terence Quick: Death in the queue to pay the new property tax

Spokesman of Independent Greeks Terence Quick immediately responded to the incident. "After the suicides of our fellow citizens caused by the policy of the joint government of New Democracy and PASOK, and after the death of a worker of the National Public Power Corporation in Patras who could not withstand the daily stress at work where citizens were asking him to defer their obligations, now comes the death of our fellow citizen in the queue for payment of the single property tax. Greek people cannot stand it any longer, early elections should have been held long ago," he said.

Meanwhile, the National Bank of Greece has extended the opening hours of 70 of its branches in Athens, Thessaloniki and other cities today to 06:00 pm in order to be able to serve those citizens who are receiving their pensions and paying the property tax.