Early Tuesday morning, the body of the fifth woman who was missing after the explosion and fire that broke out yesterday at the facilities of the Violanta biscuit factory in Trikala was found. She is Agapi Bounova, who, according to reports, was a wife, mother, and grandmother.

The unfortunate woman was found near the bodies of the other three women who had been discovered first. In total, the deadly explosion at the factory claimed the lives of five female employees.

Agapi Bounova

How the tragedy happened
The tragedy occurred in the early hours of Monday when the fire broke out shortly before 4:00 AM in one wing of the factory. According to the Fire Department, a strong explosion preceded the fire, which contributed to the collapse of most of the factory and left five women trapped inside. Of the 13 employees who were present at the factory at the time, eight managed to escape safely, while the five women were missing and immediately searched for after the incident.

Ongoing investigations and involvement of authorities
The Fire Department and EMAK, with the assistance of heavy machinery, located the bodies of four women yesterday, while the fifth was found today. Authorities are examining all possibilities regarding the cause of the explosion.

The Arson Crime Division (DAEE) has already arrived at the site and is collecting statements from employees who survived in order to shed light on the event.

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 responsible for analyzing the causes.

Questions around the causes and scenarios
The cause of the explosion remains unknown, and the scenarios being examined by authorities include technical failures, structural defects, or even human error. Despite ongoing efforts to clarify the causes, initial indications suggest that the explosion was powerful enough to cause such extensive damage and leave behind human tragedies.

The Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, Giannis Kefalogiannis, stated that cooperation with prosecutorial authorities will continue and that investigations will be conducted until the events are fully clarified. Political parties in the country expressed their sorrow for the victims, while the Mayor of Trikala proposed that a three-day municipal mourning period be declared in respect for the victims.

Temperatures above 1,000 degrees in the factory
The noise from the explosion was so powerful that it was heard even in neighboring villages, according to eyewitness accounts. The fire developed temperatures above 1,000 degrees Celsius; it is indicative that the steel melted while part of the infrastructure collapsed due both to the explosion and the extreme heat.

At the scene of the tragedy, a DAEE team collected statements from employees who survived the fire in order to gather information about what happened and provide answers regarding the causes of the explosion. The main scenario under investigation is that of a “violent explosion”: a propane leak may have gone undetected and, with the help of a spark (possibly even from turning on a switch), triggered the explosion. The fire followed as a consequence. Numerous questions arise, primarily why the gas was not detected, whether such detectors were present and operational in the facility, and when the adequacy of the systems was last checked.

Video from the firefighting efforts and removal of debris from the site: