A 19-year-old man has died in Athens after jumping from a trolley bus when he was caught travelling without a ticket.

The incident occurred late on Tuesday night on the Number 12 trolley bus, which was heading from central Athens to the western suburb of Peristeri.

The exact circumstances remain unclear but the teenager, named by some reports as Athanasios Kanaoutis, struck his head when he jumped from the vehicle.

He was taken to Aghia Olga Hospital in Nea Ionia but at around 1.30 a.m. he was moved to the Geniko Kratiko Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at around 6 a.m. on Wednesday.

The trolley bus driver and ticket inspector have been arrested and are being questioned in connection with the incident.

There are conflicting reports about what happened on the vehicle. OSY, the public company that manages road transport, alleges that the 19-year-old argued and fought with the inspector when he was discovered to be travelling without a ticket.

This has not been confirmed so far by the police. Other reports suggest that the passenger said he and his parents were unemployed and unable to pay for the 1.40-euro ticket or any fine before he jumped from the trolley bus.

Transport authorities recently stepped up efforts to tackle fare dodging, employing volunteer inspectors who receive a 10 percent share of the fines they issue.