FOUR WOMEN KILLED, ONE MISSING IN BISCuit FACTORY FIRE IN CENTRAL GREECE
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Agency Report
Four women died and a fifth went missing after a fire tore through a biscuit factory in central Greece early Monday, in one of the country’s deadliest recent industrial accidents.
The fire broke out during the night shift at the Violanta factory, located outside the city of Trikala, about 245 kilometres northwest of Athens. “Today, a serious incident occurred at our factory premises during the night shift, due to a cause that remains unknown at this time,” the company said in a statement.
Six employees and a firefighter were initially hospitalized but were soon discharged. Television footage showed the gutted remains of one of the factory buildings, with witnesses reporting a loud explosion heard many kilometres away. Officials said the blaze began in a furnace area, collapsing the roof.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said a fire department team was examining the causes of the tragedy to determine responsibility. “The factory was a modern facility, and our thoughts are with the families of the victims,” he told his cabinet.
Trikala labour leader Dimitris Armagos noted that his organisation had never been allowed to inspect the facility. “The explosion happened in the rear wing, in an area we had never entered. One wing has been levelled, as if a missile had hit it,” he said.
Industrial accidents remain a serious concern in Greece. More than 200 work-related deaths were reported in 2025. Previous major incidents include a 1992 refinery explosion in Elefsina that killed 15 people and a dynamite factory blast in Itea in 2022 that killed three.
The Violanta plant, the company’s first and largest, produces 12,500 tonnes of biscuits, cookies, and wafers annually and has a significant presence in shops and exports to around 40 countries.
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