Grevena: Powerful explosion in a factory in Itea - three dead

The aftermath of the powerful explosion that occurred on Monday morning at a dynamite factory in Itea, in Grevena, was sad. Three men were killed in the explosion, one of them 46-year-old from Polymilos Kozani, a 33-year-old from Grevena and one 36-year-old from Dimitra of Grevena.

The terrible incident took place shortly before 9 am, leveling the unit. A guard of the complex was taken to hospital injured, in a state of shock, but his condition is not cause for concern.

The explosion occurred at the production plant and resulted in the total destruction of a building. For safety reasons, access to the site has been blocked. Mr.Dimitris Palegas Resident of Itea, Grevena, told RES RES that «the explosion was so strong and we felt the Earth and our homes shaking like in the earthquake of 1995...». He spoke of a huge cloud of smoke rising hundreds of metres above the ground and that the surrounding fields hundreds of metres from the factory fence have been filled with pieces from concrete and iron coming from the factory premises.

The mayor of Grevena, Mr.. George Dastamanis said that the explosion was also heard in the city and the sound reached the municipality of Descati, Grevena and Aiani, Kozani. Some facilities of the factory that produced explosives for safety reasons are below ground while according to the fire brigade officer on the scene «the factory has turned into a weightless mass of rubble and iron».

The Fire Marshal Mr. Kalaidopoulos spoke of «skull and crossbones» at the site and stressed that the whole unit production has flattened completely. «There are pieces of flesh,» he said.

The mayor of Grevena, Mr. George Dastamanis, he told OPEN that before About 10 days another explosion was heard in the area that alarmed the residents of Grevena, but it has not yet been confirmed to be connected to the same plant. On the spot at the site of the explosion men of the fire department service of Grevena, two ambulances of EKAV, the police in order to check if there are any trapped but also two teams of the EMAC.

What is the factory

This is the Greek Explosives Technology (ELTEK) which was founded in 2010 with headquarters in Agalaios, Municipality of Grevena. It produces explosives for any kind of above-ground or underground technical work.

Since 2016 with the entry of new powerful investors the 2016 η ELTEK is today the fastest growing company in the production and marketing of explosives in the Balkans. It has a privately owned 100-acre site with 14 modern industrial facilities, warehouses with a total capacity of 700 tons of raw material and 200 tons of explosives and a modern and certified fleet of trucks. ELTEK currently serves the demand in Greece, Cyprus, Albania, FYROM, Bulgaria, Kosovo, Romania and Serbia, while at the same time recording a steady monthly sales growth of 25%.