A member of the music band “Dytikes Synoikies” was the 53-year-old man who lost his life in the tragic car accident that occurred on Saturday night in Thessaloniki.

It was Vasilis Matzouranis, who, along with Kostas Mylosis, founded the band in 1996 in Thessaloniki.

How the accident happened

The accident took place late Saturday night in the center of Thessaloniki. Six other people were injured in the crash, five of whom were minors.

According to Thestival, the accident occurred around 11:30 p.m. Under unclear circumstances, the car driven by the 53-year-old collided head-on with another car at the intersection of Egnatia and Lagada streets.

As a result of the collision, the 53-year-old lost his life. Five other minors, aged 16, were in the same car. According to reports, two of them were the children of the 53-year-old. The injured were taken to Papageorgiou and G. Gennimatas hospitals by EKAB ambulances.

Reports from Thestival.gr indicate that the 53-year-old had gone to the city center on Saturday night to pick up his two 16-year-old children and three other minors to take them back to their homes. On their way back toward the western area of Thessaloniki, the fatal collision occurred, costing him his life.

The driver of the other car sustained minor injuries from the crash.

“The children saw their father in this condition”

A friend of Vasilis Matzouranis stated to Protothema.gr that the 53-year-old was driving normally in his lane when the driver of the second car ran a red light to cross over from 26th October Street—something that is prohibited—and crashed forcefully into his car.

“He had gone to pick up his children and their friends from the city center to take them home. Fortunately, the children were not seriously injured, but they saw their father in this condition. We are all shocked, we cannot believe it,” she said.