Greece probes biscuit factory fire as fifth victim found

Greek investigators on Tuesday were looking into the causes of a fire that killed five workers at a biscuit factory in the country's worst industrial accident in years.

The explosion early on Monday ripped through an entire section of the Violanta factory near the central Greek city of Trikala.

"The case will be investigated to the end... possibly, even today, we may have an initial picture of what caused the fire," Civil Protection Minister Giannis Kefalogiannis told state TV ERT.

Four of the victims were found soon after the blast but the fifth was only recovered on Tuesday morning as pockets of fire made the operation difficult, the fire department said.

A fire department officer told AFP a gas leak may have caused the fire but they "cannot rule out another possibility" yet. 

"It is too early to have a detailed report," the officer said on condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to comment on the ongoing investigation.

A source in the Trikala prosecutor's office said the department was supervising the investigation.

"The case file will include possible criminal responsibility over security failures at the factory," they said. 

The deaths have shocked local communities around Trikala, which provide much of the company's workforce.

Colleagues and relatives said the women who died had chosen to work the night shift so they could be with their children during the day. 

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The Violanta company in a statement insisted it "strictly applies protocols and procedures, adhering to all measures for the safety of our staff and facilities".

"We are mourning five of our own," the company said, adding it was "fully" cooperating with the investigation.

The blaze is one of the country's deadliest industrial accidents in recent years.

A local trade union on Monday said it had not been allowed to inspect the facility.

Over 200 people died in work-related accidents in 2025, according to the federation of technical company employees.

In 1992, 15 people died in a refinery explosion in the industrial zone of Elefsina, near the port of Piraeus.

Three people died in a dynamite factory explosion in Itea, central Greece, in 2022.

The Violanta plant in Trikala, the company's first and biggest, produced 12,500 tonnes of biscuits, cookies and wafers per year, according to the company website.

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