Vienna - A public memorial service is planned for Austrian far-right leader Joerg Haider on Saturday in the centre of Klagenfurt.

The politician died in a car accident Saturday.

From Thursday, his body will be laid out in the regional parliament in Klagenfurt, the capital of the Carinthia province where Haider was governor, the provincial authorities announced.

Since Saturday, thousands of mourners have placed candles and flowers outside the governor's office. In provincial elections in 2004, Haider won 43 per cent of the vote.

On the national level, Haider's Alliance for the Future of Austria won 11 per cent in parliamentary elections in late September.

Haider died of multiple injuries after he lost control of his car driving at 142 kilometres per hour, more than double the legal limit. (dpa)