Explosion and fire at cookie factory in Greece kills 4 workers and 1 is missing

An explosion and fire at a biscuit factory in central Greece killed at least four workers and left one person missing, authorities said Monday.

Seven other people, including a firefighter, were hospitalized after the explosion at the Violanta biscuit plant near the town of Trikala, about 320 kilometers north of Athens.

The explosion occurred during the night shift and the resulting fire destroyed the plant. Fire crews battled the blaze for hours before recovering four bodies, all of them women, from the destroyed building.

Police said investigators suspect the explosion may have originated near the furnaces, which operate 24 hours a day. Six workers and a firefighter were being treated at a Trikala hospital, none of them in serious condition.

Arson investigators and emergency crews remained at the scene as authorities worked to determine what caused the explosion.

Television images showed the destroyed remains of the Violanta factory.

“Today a serious incident occurred in our factory facilities during the night shift, due to a cause that is unknown at the moment,” the company reported in a statement.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said: “A team of firefighters is already examining the causes of this tragedy so that we know exactly what happened and assign responsibility where it belongs.”

He told his cabinet the factory was “modern” and said the nation’s thoughts were with the families of the victims.

The fire is one of the deadliest industrial accidents in Greece and one of the worst in many years.

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

The Violanta plant, the company’s first and largest, produced 12,500 tons of cookies, crackers and wafers a year, according to the company’s website.

The brand is among the fastest growing in Greece, with a significant in-store presence and exports to around 40 countries.