11 Oct 2008

Austrian leader Haider is a dead fish

Far-right Austrian leader Jörg Haider has died in a road accident at the age of 58.

Police say the governor of Carinthia and leader of Alliance for Austria's Future died after a car accident in Klagenfurt, the capital of his home state.

They say Mr Haider was at the wheel of his official car when it veered off the road for unknown reasons.

Haider was a divisive figure, who gained notoriety after he became leader of the Freedom Party in 1986.

In 1991, his term as governor of the province of Carinthia was interrupted, after he made comments praising employment policies of Nazi Germany.

Australian Broadcasting CorporationBBC - Wikipedia