Trikala: Five hard-working mothers are the faces of the tragedy

Hard-working mothers who chose the night shift so they could work during the night and take care of their families in the morning. This is the profile of the five women who met a tragic death in the deadly explosion that occurred at the facilities of the “Violanta” biscuit factory in Trikala in the early hours of Monday (26/1).

Among the victims is a 42-year-old woman from Filyra, Trikala, mother of two minor children aged 4 and 6. One of her three sisters provided a DNA sample in order to identify her body. The woman had been working at the factory for the past six months, while also holding a second job, working as a hairdresser at clients’ homes.

Also killed in the deadly fire were a 45-year-old woman, mother of a 13-year-old, another mother of three children, and a 56-year-old mother originating from Karditsa.

Meanwhile, the fifth worker who had been missing and was found on Monday afternoon was 40 years old and a mother of three children.

Another six workers were taken to hospital as a precaution and were discharged a few hours later. In total, 13 people were working the night shift in the early hours of Monday. It is even speculated that the workers who survived had gone out for a break at the time of the explosion.

From the site, the bodies of the five women have been recovered, along with body parts that may belong to the fifth missing worker; however, identification is impossible and will be carried out through DNA samples to be sent by the Forensic Service of Larissa to the Hellenic Police’s Directorate of Criminal Investigations.

The most likely scenarios for the cause of the explosion

The most prevailing scenario so far is that the explosion, which also caused the collapse of the floor and the roof, was triggered by a liquefied petroleum gas leak, leading to the explosion and the fire.

The two outdoor liquefied gas tanks located in the factory’s external area are intact; however, it cannot be ruled out that there was a leak at some point inside the facilities, gas saturation occurred, and an explosive mixture was created in the oven area, which, with a simple spark, caused the violent explosion and fire at the facilities, without spreading to other areas or to the tanks.

This will, of course, be investigated by officers of the Directorate for Arson Investigation (DAEE), and an expert assessment will also be appointed. First, the volume of debris will need to be removed from the site, and then the competent authorities will be able to examine the area in order to identify the initial point of the explosion and the possible cause. As a result of the incident, six additional workers and one firefighter were also injured.

It is noted that, as has become known, the company had two large 9-cubic-metre tanks in the factory courtyard, containing a mixture of propane and butane, which was transported to the facilities through special piping to operate the production area.

What troubles Fire Service officers is that none of the witnesses reported noticing any smell before the explosion. For this reason, they are leaving open a small possibility that another chemical cause may also have contributed to the disaster.

In any case, answers and clarifications to all questions will be provided after the on-site inspection and the completion of testimonies, while experts from Athens have also been appointed—specifically an electrician, a chemist and an explosives expert—who will submit their findings after conducting their investigation at the site.

At the scene, 53 firefighters are operating with 16 vehicles, one special aerial ladder vehicle, one team from the 8th EMAK, one team from the 7th EMAK, one unmanned aerial systems (drone) team, and nine auxiliary vehicles, while assistance is also being provided by two water tankers from the Trikala Regional Unit.

It is also noted that Fire Service officers are in close cooperation with a prosecutor, who has been at the scene of the tragedy since the morning and is monitoring the investigations.

Trikala: “An inspection team had visited the factory in the summer”

While searches for the identification of another worker were still ongoing, NEWS 24/7 contacted the president of the Trikala Labour Centre, Dimitris Armagos, who had been at the site since the first hours after the fire broke out.

According to him, already since the summer, the Health and Safety Department of the Labour Inspectorate, together with a representative of the Labour Centre, had visited the specific factory regarding issues of hygiene and safety protection measures, as well as other factories in the area.

“There were observations on these issues. That is why we will immediately request the report from the competent department. We demand full clarification of the causes that led to the fire and the explosion and resulted in the deaths of four—so far—female workers. Workplaces must cease to be dangerous for those who go there to earn a daily wage,” he stressed.

“Our tongue has grown weary of pointing out the measures that must be taken for hygiene and safety overall in businesses and factories in our region,” Mr Armagos added.

The president of the Labour Centre stressed that, as expected, the workers are in shock. “Relatives also came outside the factory, struggling to find out what was happening to their loved ones,” he said.

“We had difficulties approaching the workers from this specific factory. Our access reached only as far as the gate,” he noted, adding that workers in the area will proceed with mobilisations and strikes.

At the same time, the special Environmental Advisor to the Governor of Thessaly, Dimitris Kouretas—the chemist Zisis Argyropoulos—was also present at the site. He noted that samples have been taken from the soil in the area to determine whether there is any contamination, thus assisting the work of the Fire Service.

The timeline of the tragedy

Everything happened shortly before 04:00 in the early morning hours, when, following an explosion, a fire broke out in the area where, according to the Fire Service, 13 people were present, as part of the factory’s 24-hour operation.

For at least two hours, strong firefighting forces—which were subsequently further reinforced—were attempting to bring the uncontrollable fire under control.

The bodies of three women were located at around 9:00 in the morning, while the fourth was found a short time later.

Searches are ongoing to locate the body of the fifth missing worker.

The NEWS24/7 documentary on workplace accidents