Four women were killed and a fifth remained missing after a fire broke out at a biscuit factory in central Greece early on Monday, in what officials described as one of the country’s deadliest industrial accidents in recent years.
The incident occurred at the Violanta factory near the city of Trikala, about 245 kilometres northwest of Athens. In a statement, the company said the blaze erupted during the night shift for reasons that were still unknown.
Six factory workers and a firefighter were initially taken to hospital but were later discharged, authorities said.
Television footage showed extensive damage to one of the factory buildings, with large sections reduced to rubble. Witnesses reported hearing a powerful explosion that was audible several kilometres away. Media reports indicated the accident occurred in a furnace area, causing part of the roof to collapse.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said an investigation was already underway to determine the cause of the tragedy and establish accountability.
“A fire department team is already examining the causes of this tragedy so that we know exactly what happened and assign responsibility where it is due,” Mitsotakis said, adding that the factory was considered a modern facility and expressing the nation’s condolences to the families of the victims.
The blaze ranks among the deadliest industrial accidents in Greece in many years. Trikala labour leader Dimitris Armagos said trade union representatives had never been allowed to inspect the section of the plant that was destroyed.
“The explosion happened in the rear wing, in an area we as a labour centre had never entered,” Armagos told news outlet ThessPost. “One wing has been levelled, as if a missile had hit it,” he added.
According to the federation of technical company employees, more than 200 people died in work-related accidents in Greece in 2025.
Greece has witnessed several fatal industrial incidents in recent decades, including a 1992 refinery explosion in Elefsina near the port of Piraeus that killed 15 people, and a 2022 dynamite factory explosion in Itea that claimed three lives.
The Violanta plant in Trikala, the company’s first and largest facility, produces about 12,500 tonnes of biscuits, cookies and wafers annually. The brand is among the fastest-growing in Greece, with widespread domestic distribution and exports to around 40 countries.
