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Meanwhile, the idea that Greece might leave the euro, the single currency used by 17 nations, is gaining traction despite the latest vows of support from European leaders, and the Greek people continue to suffer under painful austerity measures.

Those austerity measures include the tax increases and painful cuts to wages, services and pensions that have angered many voters and sent them flocking to back parties such as the leftist Syriza coalition, rather than the more moderate PASOK and New Democracy.

Alex Tsompanidis, a 20-year-old medical student from Athens, told CNN the current crisis is affecting every aspect of life, even people’s friendships.

“I can honestly say that the fragile political situation in Greece has scared almost everyone I know,” he said.

“People have been considering withdrawing their bank deposits, if they haven’t done this already. Most importantly, however, this recent political turmoil — and the elections to follow — has put a burden on everyone’s interactions and everyday life.

“People in Greece are now divided. I keep arguing with my friends concerning our voting preferences. Misinformation is rampant, and everyone is critical of everybody else.”

Greek President Karolos Papoulias raised the specter of a run on banks Tuesday, after the central bank reported that Greeks pulled about 800 million euros out of the banking system on Monday.

“There is, of course, no panic, but there is fear that could develop into panic,” Papoulias said, describing what the central bank governor told him.

English language newspaper Athens News said its reporters had been out to banks in the past two days and seen no signs that a “rush” was on.

Journalist Thanasis Trompoukis, based in Athens, also rejected the idea that his fellow citizens are panicking, but said many fear for the future.

Part of the problem is confusion over whether Greece really risks being kicked out of the euro zone if it does not abide by stringent European bailout terms, he said, because every politician gives a different answer.

“We hear so many things and we don’t know where the truth lies,” Trompoukis said. “Now we wait for new elections and, for sure, people think that neither Pasok nor New Democracy, the two major parties, can help the country. And we are sure that the measures that Europe asks us to take will not solve the problems for Greece (either).”

Those austerity measures include the tax increases and painful cuts to wages, services and pensions that have angered many voters and cost Pasok and New Democracy much of their previous support.

The political deadlock is leading to fears that Greece will not have a government in place when it needs to make critical debt payments, which could in turn jeopardize its place in the euro zone.

Business leaders prepare for ‘Grexit’

At the same time, its people ask how much hardship they can be expected to take.

“Here in Greece many people are really poor right now,” said Trompoukis, pointing out that for many workers salaries have dropped by more than a third over the past year, but costs have not.

“They don’t have the money to cover their basic needs, such as to buy food or pay for their utilities or their phones, and every day, more and more (people) get in that situation. So if you don’t have money to buy food, you’re not worried about the European future of the country — you are worried about your survival.”

Greek media reports reflect the pain many people are feeling, as well as the sense that they are being unfairly asked to pay for a crisis not of their making.

“The country will once again test its endurance limits as going back to the polls is unavoidable,” said the daily Kathimerini newspaper Wednesday, as the date for a new election was announced.

I Avgi, a daily left-leaning newspaper published in Athens, suggested the international community is trying to shock the Greek people into electing a government that will stick to the bailout deal despite the painful austerity measures attached.

“The bailout forces and troika create hell for 30 days in order ‘to correct’ the vote of the people,” are the opening words of one its main stories.

Turnout was much lower than usual in the May 6 election, said Marios Efthymiopoulos, president of the Thessaloniki-based think tank Strategy International, likely reflecting people’s disillusionment with the system.

He says his country is in urgent need of a stable, credible government to restore confidence and let investors know that Greece is “open for business.”

Greeks will consider themselves European whether they are in the euro zone or not, said Efthymiopoulos, a former visiting scholar at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University in the United States.

But most people do not want Greece to leave the euro zone, despite the huge debt it must carry to stay in the club. “The problem is how will you repay that debt? How will you emerge as a winner from that debt? That’s not easy to do,” Efthymiopoulos said.

He also warns that if Greece were to quit the euro and return to a national currency, such as the drachma, the move would result in years of turmoil and cost money the nation does not have.

Efthymiopoulos wants to see more young people in politics, bringing fresh ideas and a more outward-looking perspective. Reform of the country’s laws and electoral system is also needed, he said, if long-term stability is to be achieved.

In the meantime, no one will listen to the interim prime minister sworn in Wednesday, he warns, and Greece will continue to flounder until a government is convincingly elected that can win the trust of its own people and build alliances abroad.

“We have no allies whatsoever,” he said. “We are not credible and nobody trusts us — and that is unfortunate because some of us are trustworthy, and now we need to prove that.”

Tsompanidis, studying medicine at the University of Athens, agrees that people struggle to know who to believe at the moment. They don’t know what to make of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s comments on Greece, or the speeches of their own politicians, he said.

However, he said, “two things are certain: nobody wants Greece to exit the euro and everyone can see that the financial situation in Greece has deteriorated rapidly, with no light at the end of the tunnel.”

Tsompanidis said he has taken part in some of the many anti-austerity protests that have filled the capital’s streets in recent years.

Fueling many people’s anger is the fact that the country’s huge debt is a result of government overspending and corruption, rather than private debt, he said. Meanwhile, those who do pay taxes, in a country where tax evasion is a big problem, have to shoulder even more of the burden.

Like many students of his generation, Tsompanidis anticipates that after graduation he will have to leave Greece — where more than half of those under age 25 were unemployed as of January, according to European Commission figures — to seek work elsewhere.

Journalist Trompoukis, 32, said four of his friends have left Greece to find work in recent months.

“If you asked me two years ago, I would never believe that so many young people would leave Greece and go to London or Germany or other European countries,” he said. “It’s very sad.”

Tsompanidis believes that while the tough austerity measures imposed on his country may have kept the banks and lenders afloat, it has not helped restore investor confidence in Greece, “instead plunging the country in internal bankruptcy and misery.”

And he is upset by the increasingly negative view of Greece that many outside his country seem to hold.

“I am very distraught that the world believes Greeks are lazy and useless. I am very disappointed to watch everyone lose faith in Greece and mistake our inadequate political establishment with everyone else in this country,” he said.

“We want our European ‘partners’ to help us restore growth and the prospects of the economy, but nobody is willing anymore, and that is a disheartening realization.”

CNN’s Michael Saba contributed to this report.

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(CNN) — Years after saying Israel should be “wiped off” the map, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Saturday that there is no need to take up arms against his nation’s foe, state news reported.

Speaking to citizens in northeastern Iran’s Khorassan province, Ahmadinejad accused unnamed governments of stepping up military purchases in anticipation of a possible war pitting Iran versus Israel.

But he suggested that wasn’t necessary, according to the report from the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency.

“If their goal in purchasing arms is to fight the Zionist regime in Israel, they should know that there is not need to do so,” Ahmadinejad said.

Ahmadinejad has long questioned the existence of the Holocaust and, months after taking office in October 2005, he participated in a lengthy protest against Israel called “World Without Zionism.”

“With the force of God behind it, we shall soon experience a world without the United States and Zionism,” he said then, according to another IRNA report.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been a harsh, persistent critic of Iran’s leadership and nuclear program, with rumors circulating for months that Israel may pre-emptively strike nuclear sites in Iran and possibly set off a regional war.

However, the decision earlier this month of Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party to form a unity government with the rival centrist political faction Kadima may affect Israel’s strategy. Kadima Party leader Shaul Mofaz, a former military chief-of-staff and defense minister, has generally been less hawkish on Iran than Netanyahu and expressed reservations about Israel taking unilateral military action against the Islamic republic’s nuclear installations.

While seemingly backing away from armed conflict, Ahmadinejad hardly signaled in his remarks Saturday that he believes Iranians should or will embrace Israel.

He predicted Israel could fall if regional powers cut ties — particularly by refusing to sell oil to Israelis.

In another IRNA story published Saturday, the president blasted nearby governments for being “indifferent (to) savage crimes committed by the Zionist regimes.” Ahmadinejad further criticized unnamed nations for buying arms from Israel.

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Then a state officer — one of scores of law enforcement agents who had been working round the clock to find Mayes and the Bain sisters — yelled, “Get your hands up.”

One girl picked her head up, soon followed by the other. Mayes himself then began to raise his head, all the while holding a 9 mm pistol.

“I hollered ‘Gun!’ three times to let my team know that there was a weapon involved,” recalled Master Sgt. Steve Crawford, head of the Mississippi Highway Patrol’s special operations unit.

“Then he raised to his knees, never brandished a gun toward any of us or the children, and at that time took his own life.”

That single gunshot wound to the head ended a manhunt that spanned several states and involved about 24 law enforcement agencies, said FBI special agent in charge Daniel McMullen. It also captivated the nation, rocketing Mayes from obscurity to a spot on the FBI’s “Ten Most Wanted” list practically overnight.

And most of all, it tore apart a family — leaving two young girls motherless, but alive.

It is “just a very, very close-knit, loving family. And it’s a family that didn’t deserve this,” Rick Foster told HLN’s “Nancy Grace” show Thursday, hours after talking to his relieved good friend Gary Bain, who had just learned his two daughters were alive.

For all the new details provided by federal and state officials at a press conference Friday in Jackson, Mississippi, many questions remained. Chief among them — and one that may never be fully answered, with Mayes dead — is why he did what he did.

The two people who may know best, Alexandria and Kyliyah, ideally can “shed some light” whenever they “get to where they can speak, when they calm down,” said state Department of Public Safety Albert Santa Cruz.

But for now, authorities say they are just thankful that the girls are alive.

The sisters “didn’t cry” after Mayes shot himself “within inches” of them, seemingly relieved the worst of their ordeal was over Thursday night, said Crawford. After getting a drink of water, they were whisked off by ambulance with two female agents, said FBI spokesman Jason Pack.

Then, some time between 2 and 5 a.m. Friday, they were released from Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, hospital spokeswoman Sara Burnett said.

“A lot of prayers were answered when we found these two young ladies to be safe,” said Lt. Lee Ellington, a state Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Parks officer who was on site when Mayes committed suicide and the girls were rescued.

“At the end of the day, the two young ladies returned home to their father safely, as did all officers.”

The saga began April 27, when Jo Ann Bain’s husband, Gary, called police to report that his wife and three daughters were missing from their Tennessee home.

The Bain and Mayes families are connected through Gary and his former wife, Pamela, who is Adam Mayes’ sister, explained Shana Johnson, a lawyer for Adam Mayes’ mother-in-law, Josie Tate.

Tate has said that Adam Mayes believed the two girls he allegedly abducted were his children.

But Brenda Foster firmly denied to HLN that Jo Ann Bain, her close friend of 26 years who was back in school pursuing a degree in elementary education, was ever “intimate” with Mayes. Her husband, Rick Foster, explained how the Bains had embraced and trusted Mayes — with their daughters calling him “uncle” and Gary giving him odd jobs and treating him like “a son.”

Even then, authorities say, Mayes violently turned on the family.

Police said that his wife, Teresa Mayes, told police she was in the Bains’ garage when her husband killed Jo Ann Bain and her eldest daughter, Adrienne Bain. According to a law enforcement source, the two were strangled.

Johnson, Teresa Mayes’ attorney, said Thursday that her client last saw Mayes and the Bain girls in Mississippi on April 27.

Along with her late husband, Teresa Mayes was charged with two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of especially aggravated kidnapping. He had faced an additional count of making a false report, according to arrest affidavits filed in Tennessee.

“I don’t want to believe that. I want to believe that she was forced to do that in some way,” Teresa’s sister, Bobbi Booth, told CNN on Friday.

Tate calls her daughter Teresa “as much a victim of Adam Mayes as the Bain family.”

“Teresa was scared of Adam. If she didn’t do just as Adam told her to do, she would suffer the results,” the mother told HLN on Friday.

In affidavits, investigators said the Mayeses drove the bodies of Jo Ann and Adrienne Bain to Union County in northern Mississippi, where they were discovered Saturday in a shallow grave behind the house of Adam Mayes’ mother in Guntown.

It was then that an Amber Alert was issued, seeking the public’s help in tracking down the girls and Adam Mayes.

The FBI initially noted Mayes had connections to Arizona, Texas, Florida and the Carolinas. Still, they said their main focus remained in Mississippi — even after the number of tips spiked, from all over the country, after Mayes’ inclusion on the FBI’s “most wanted” list earlier this week.

“He had family there, he had friends there, and that area was the last area where (Mayes) was seen,” said FBI special agent McMullen, noting a witness reported seeing the suspect there on May 1. “So that’s what kept us there; that’s what kept the pressure up on that area, and I think that was critical to this ending.”

By Thursday, the reward for information leading to Mayes’ arrest stood at $175,000. The tip that ultimately led authorities to him and the girls was not that anyone spotted them, but that an old log cabin behind a church in Alpine, Mississippi, might be a good hiding place.

It is a “very good possibility” that tipster may take home that reward, Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant said.

Adam Mayes’ mother, Mary Frances Mayes, also has been charged with conspiracy to commit especially aggravated kidnapping.

Three others have been arrested in connection with the case, a law enforcement source told CNN — including one for making a false statement and two others for illegal possession of a firearm. One of these is the person who provided Mayes with the gun he used to shoot himself, the source said.

While there was some closure Thursday night, officials have stressed that the investigation is ongoing. And that means authorities may try to hold more people accountable for what happened to the Bain family.

“That effort goes on, and additional arrests are possible,” Bryant said.

CNN’s Rich Phillips and Joe Sutton, and HLN’s Natisha Lance, Mike Brooks and Josey Crews contributed to this report.

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Los Angeles (CNN) — Former NFL linebacker Junior Seau died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound Wednesday, according to police. He was 43.

A handgun was found near his body in a bedroom of his Oceanside, California, home by officers responding to an emergency call from a woman who said she was Seau’s girlfriend, Oceanside Police Chief Frank McCoy said.

She told police she returned to the home about 9:30 a.m. and found Seau “unconscious, suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest,” McCoy said.

Seau could not be revived by paramedics, McCoy said.

“This case, at this point, is being investigated as a suicide,” McCoy said.

Seau’s grieving mother cried loudly as she spoke outside the home just two hours after police were called there.

“I pray to God, ‘Take me; take me; leave my son,’ but it’s too late,” Luisa Seau said.

Seau’s parents are from the island of Aunu’u, American Samoa.

“My brother was a loving brother, caring citizen,” his sister, Annette Seau, said as she asked journalists to respect the family’s privacy. “I know you guys will overblow this.”

Seau was charged with domestic violence against his 25-year-old live-in girlfriend in October 2010 after police were called to his home.

Hours after that arrest, he drove his car off a cliff and landed on the beach in Carlsbad, California. Police later concluded it was an accident caused by lack of sleep.

Seau was drafted into the NFL in the first round in 1990 out of the University of Southern California. He debuted with the San Diego Chargers, establishing his Hall of Fame potential as a Pro Bowl staple.

He left San Diego before the 2003 season to join the Miami Dolphins and spent parts of the last four seasons with the New England Patriots before retiring in January. Seau amassed 1,526 tackles, 56.5 sacks and 18 interceptions in his 20-season career.

“Junior was an icon in our community. He transcended the game,” Chargers President Dean Spanos said. “He wasn’t just a football player; he was so much more.”

Chargers head coach Norv Turner, who worked with him in both San Diego and Miami, said “no one had more character and true leadership ability than Junior.

“He brought passion to the game of football that was unmatched,” Turner said. “His commitment to charitable causes in the community was inspiring.”

Other NFL linebackers copied Seau’s aggressive style, veteran linebacker Coy Wire said.

“He played the game the way it was meant to be played,” Wire said.

“Junior was one-of-a-kind,” a Miami Dolphins statement said. “The league will never see anyone like him again.”

“Junior Seau was one of the greatest legends in USC football history,” USC Athletic Director Pat Haden said. “He will always be remembered by USC as the original number 55.”

The NFL Players Association said “the 12-time Pro Bowler achieved a level of success on the field that is unparalleled, and his off-the-field service accomplishments are beyond admirable.”

“He had a legendary NFL career, and his unrivaled passion for the game quickly made him a fan favorite here in New England,” the Patriots said.

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New York (CNN) — Seven people, including three children, died Sunday when a vehicle flipped over a guardrail and plunged up to 60 feet to the ground, landing upside down in an area of the Bronx Zoo that is closed to the public, officials said.

All the victims were inside the vehicle, a New York police spokesman said. The crash occurred near the Bronx River Parkway and East 180th Street.

“The vehicle hit the median and went across all lanes of traffic in the opposite direction,” the spokesman said. He described the drop from the ramp as “substantial.”

The victims include an elderly couple; two other women, including a 45-year-old driver; and three girls, ages 15, 5 and 3, NYPD Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne said. It was not immediately clear how they were related to one another.

All the victims were wearing seat belts, Browne said. Their names were not released pending notification of family members.

An eyewitness told authorities it wasn’t apparent what caused the vehicle, a white Honda Pilot SUV, to strike the barrier and plunge off the road, according to a law enforcement official.

But Browne said the driver was likely speeding when the left side of the SUV hit the barrier and she overcompensated, making a hard right turn and crossing three lanes of traffic. The vehicle then struck the curb and sailed some 60 feet through the air before plunging the same distance to the ground, he added.

Zoo spokeswoman Mary Dixon said the vehicle landed just inside the southeast perimeter of the 265-acre zoo. A baby bag with diapers inside was found at the scene.

“It’s far from any public area,” Dixon said. “No animals, exhibits or visitors were affected. … It would be impossible for any visitors to see this.”

The area where the vehicle fell is adjacent to where the zoo’s trams are parked, FDNY Deputy Chief Ronald Werner said.

The fire department’s Howard Sickles told reporters that in his 20 years he’s “seen a lot of horrific things and this is one of them.”

The crushed vehicle came to rest in overgrown brush, Werner said. Authorities used thermal imaging cameras to find victims in case any had been ejected, he said.

Authorities received multiple calls about the incident at about 12:30 p.m., Werner said.

The vehicle was heading southbound on the Bronx River Parkway at the time of the incident, according to the NYPD.

In 2006, six people died in an accident on the Bronx River Parkway near the site of Sunday’s crash.

CNN’s Miguel Susana, Steve Kastenbaum, Ross Levitt and Susan Candiotti contributed to this report.

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