A long-standing family vendetta erupted into deadly violence on Saturday in the Cretan village of Vorizia, leaving two people dead and several others injured after what witnesses described as a scene resembling “a battlefield.”
According to police sources, more than 2,000 bullets were fired during the confrontation between two families whose feud dates back to the 1950s. Residents fled their homes or locked themselves indoors, while heavily armed police units have surrounded the area to prevent further violence.
Authorities say the latest outbreak was triggered by an explosion late Friday night at a partially built house—an incident linked to the decades-old dispute between the Kargakis and Frangiadakis families. The construction reportedly violated a long-standing informal agreement separating the families’ homes on opposite sides of the village.
By Saturday morning, gunfire erupted in the streets and surrounding farmland, lasting for hours. When the shooting stopped, a 39-year-old man, identified as Fanouris Kargakis, a father of five, was dead, along with a 56-year-old woman from the Frangiadakis family, who is believed to have died of cardiac arrest amid the chaos.
More than a dozen people were hospitalized, some with serious injuries. Witnesses described scenes of panic as residents fled their homes or barricaded themselves inside, fearing reprisals.
The Hellenic Police (ELAS) has flooded the area with special forces, including EKAM counterterror units, transforming Vorizia into a heavily guarded zone. Local authorities have ordered schools in Vorizia and nearby Zaros closed on Monday and Tuesday to protect students and staff.
Top officials and the Head of the Greek FBI head to Crete
The scale of the violence prompted an immediate response from the highest levels of Greek law enforcement. Both the chief of the Hellenic Police and the head of the Greek FBI are expected to arrive in Crete to assess the situation firsthand, according to Greek media reports.
Greece’s Minister for Public Order, Michalis Chrisochoidis, has been briefed continuously and remains in close contact with local authorities.
At the same time, internal police sources have raised concerns over operational failures, claiming that authorities were aware of the explosive device planted Friday but did not dispatch sufficient police to prevent the attack. One woman, reportedly a relative of one of the victims, told officers at a hospital: “I’ve been calling you for two days to come.”
Hospitals under strain, families under guard
The injured have been divided among hospitals in Heraklion, with members of the two families treated separately to prevent further violence. Some remain under police guard, while heavily armed officers have been stationed both at medical centers and throughout the region.
Farmers suspend protests in mourning
In a gesture of respect toward the victims, farmers and livestock breeders in the Heraklion region have announced they will temporarily suspend their protests. Demonstrations and road blockades were halted “out of respect for the families of the dead,” organizers said, citing the volatile atmosphere in the area.
Investigation ongoing
The Hellenic Police confirmed that a large-scale investigation is underway, led by the Heraklion Criminal Investigation Department with assistance from the Organized Crime Division. The official police statement said two people were confirmed dead at the scene, with additional casualties discovered later.
A permanent EKAM unit is being stationed in the village, while forensic teams continue to collect evidence from the scene. Authorities have not ruled out new outbreaks of violence as the families prepare for funerals.
A feud that never ended
The Kargakis–Frangiadakis vendetta is among the most infamous in Greece, tracing its origins to the mid-20th century. For decades, the two families had maintained an uneasy peace, living on opposite sides of Vorizia. But Friday’s explosion appears to have reignited tensions, culminating in one of the deadliest episodes the region has seen in years.
