Rome:
An Italian clothes maker whose business was turned down for credit shot dead two civil servants and himself in the city of Perugia on Wednesday in an attack that the local mayor blamed on the crisis.
"This is an immense tragedy -- the product of a terrible climate linked to the current economic situation," Perugia mayor Vladimiro Boccali said as he came out of the regional administration office where the shootings took place.
The man, named by Italian media as 43-year-old entrepreneur Andrea Zampi, shot the two women several times before turning the gun on himself.
PerugiaToday news website said the regional administration had turned
down his request for credit that would have allowed him to raise some 130,000 euros ($169,000).
He had come to their offices several times in recent days to complain.
Italy is suffering through its longest recession in 20 years and access to credit for businesses has become particularly difficult in recent months.