A mother and son have jumped to their death from the roof of a five-floor building in an apparent suicide.

Witnesses say the two leapt while holding hands, a little after 8am in the small neighbourhood of Vathi square in Metaxourgeio, in central Athens. The mother was 90 years old and her son, musician Antonis Perris, was 60 years old. They lived on the first floor of the building.

The police and ambulance arrived at the scene shortly afterwards.

According to reports, neighbours say the pair had economic difficulties.

The son recently wrote a blog post describing his current situation:

"I have been taking care of my 90 year old mother for 20 years now … Three or four years ago she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and recently she has been subject to schizophrenic fits and other health problems. Nursing homes don’t accept patients who are such a burden. The problem is that I was not prepared … when the economic crisis hit."

The blog message also contained some verses he had written regarding the economic and social crisis.
Last month, 77-year old-man Dimitris Christoulas took his life in Syntagma Square in a incident that captured international attention.

Studies have shown a marked increase sharp increase in the suicide rate in Greece recent years. (Athens News/em,various sources)