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Five hunters shot dead in Greece | Five hunters shot dead in Greece |
(about 3 hours later) | |
Police have begun a murder inquiry after five members of one family were shot dead on a hunting trip in Greece. | Police have begun a murder inquiry after five members of one family were shot dead on a hunting trip in Greece. |
The bodies of the five young men - two brothers and three cousins - were found in woodland in the Kalyvia region about 280km (175 miles) north-west of Athens. | The bodies of the five young men - two brothers and three cousins - were found in woodland in the Kalyvia region about 280km (175 miles) north-west of Athens. |
One victim had tried to raise the alarm by phoning his father but the call was cut off, police said. The father began searching and found the bodies. | One victim had tried to raise the alarm by phoning his father but the call was cut off, police said. The father began searching and found the bodies. |
Police said the men, aged 17 to 33, had each been shot at least twice. | Police said the men, aged 17 to 33, had each been shot at least twice. |
No motive for the killings has yet been established. | No motive for the killings has yet been established. |
Police have set up roadblocks all the way to the Albanian border, some 200km (125 miles) to the north. | Police have set up roadblocks all the way to the Albanian border, some 200km (125 miles) to the north. |
'Revenge' | |
The five men had set off on Saturday afternoon for a local hunting trip. | The five men had set off on Saturday afternoon for a local hunting trip. |
Late that evening, they were discovered lying in pools of blood next to their shotguns, in a field near the town of Agrinio. | |
Police said each was picked off at some distance by a marksman using a hunting rifle before being shot again at close range, probably by more than two gunman. | |
The body of 17-year-old Alexis Nikolopoulos, whose mobile phone call to his father was cut off before he could speak, was found a short distance from the others. | The body of 17-year-old Alexis Nikolopoulos, whose mobile phone call to his father was cut off before he could speak, was found a short distance from the others. |
Speaking to Greece's Alter Television, George Nikolopoulos said he had picked up the phone and heard a noise like a voice, but then nothing else and the line went dead. | |
"Now, I realise," he said, "that Alexis was probably running for his life." | |
He said what he wanted was to find those responsible and avenge his son and nephews' deaths. | |
'Unprecedented act' | |
Regional police chief Vassilis Tsiatouras said: "This was an unprecedented criminal act; I've never experienced anything like this." | |
The murders have stunned the rural community and the country at large, says the BBC's Malcolm Brabant in Athens. | |
With its exceptionally low rate of violent crime, Greece is regarded as one of Europe's safest countries. | |
Initial reports suggest the family did not have any enemies, our correspondent says. | |
However, police are investigating whether the multiple murder could be the result of a vendetta or a grudge. | However, police are investigating whether the multiple murder could be the result of a vendetta or a grudge. |
They are also examining the possibility that the young men accidentally stumbled across some criminal activity and, as potential witnesses, were eliminated, our correspondent says. | They are also examining the possibility that the young men accidentally stumbled across some criminal activity and, as potential witnesses, were eliminated, our correspondent says. |
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