A gas leak and a powerful explosion in the area where the factory's ovens were located are indicated by initial findings as the cause of the tragedy that claimed the lives of five workers at Violanta.
Investigations at the site are continuing, with the factory still smoking after the large fire caused by the deadly explosion. According to new information from protothema.gr, which is located in Trikala, the facilities had a fire safety study, which had been submitted electronically by a competent engineer in September 2025.
protothema.gr at the scene of the tragedy, see all the latest developments in video
It is noted that on Tuesday morning, the body of the fifth woman who lost her life at the Violanda factory was found. This is Agapi Bunova, who, according to information, was a wife, mother and grandmother.
The unfortunate woman was found near the bodies of the other three women, who had been found first, while at that particular point the ground had not subsided.
How the tragedy happened
The tragedy occurred in the early hours of Monday morning, when the fire broke out shortly before 4:00 in a wing of the factory. According to the Fire Department, it was preceded by a powerful explosion, which contributed to the collapse of most of the factory and left five women trapped inside. Of the 13 workers who were in the factory at the time, eight managed to safely evacuate, while the five women were missing and were being searched for immediately after the incident.
Investigations continue at the scene of the tragedy
The Arson Crimes Prevention Directorate (DAEE) has gone to the scene and is collecting statements from the workers who managed to escape, in order to shed light on the incident.
At the same time, two experts have been appointed from Athens to investigate the circumstances of the explosion, with an electrical engineer, a chemical engineer and a pyrotechnician undertaking the analysis of the causes.
The Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, Yiannis Kefalogiannis, stated that cooperation with the prosecutor's office will continue and that the investigations will be carried out to the end to ensure the full clarification of the events. The country's political parties expressed their sadness for the victims, while the Mayor of Trikala proposed declaring three days of municipal mourning as a sign of respect for the victims.
Over 1.000 points in the factory
The noise from the explosion was so loud that it was heard even in neighboring villages, according to residents. The fire generated temperatures of over 1.000 degrees, indicating that the steel melted while part of the infrastructure collapsed from both the explosion and the heat generated.
From the very beginning, the main scenario examined for the causes of the tragedy was that of a "violent explosion": That is, there was an undetected propane leak and with the help of a spark (it could even have been from the lighting of a switch) the explosion was caused. The fire followed as a consequence. The questions that arise are many, the main one being why the gas was not detected, whether there were such detectors in place and in operation, when was the adequacy of the systems checked.
Video of the firefighting and debris removal from the scene:
Source: protothema.gr
