Violanta tragedy in Trikala: families denounce firing of witnesses, seek annulment of owner’s release

Eight months after the fatal explosion of January 26, 2026 at the Violanta factory in Trikala, in which five workers lost their lives, the victims’ families denounce, as reported by Newsit, that workers who had complained about a strong smell of LPG before the explosion and had testified before the authorities were fired — at least two cases — or pressured.

The family of Vassiliki Skambardoni, one of the victims, submitted a memorandum to the appeals prosecutor in Larissa, seeking the annulment of the decision to release the factory’s owner, Konstantinos Tziortziotis, whose pre-trial detention had been replaced with restrictive measures by decision of the Trikala judges’ council, Newsit writes.

The families also denounce the hasty removal of the four underground LPG tanks and the hasty reconnection of electricity — actions which, according to them and as reported by Newsit, obscure the true causes of the tragedy.

The victims’ families say they will continue their legal battle until all responsibilities for the January 26 tragedy are clarified, according to Newsit.