The local community in the village of Vounoplagia in Ioannina has been left in shock following the death of a 46-year-old construction worker and father of young children, who lost his life while on the job on Monday. The fatal accident occurred during the installation of large concrete pipes for stormwater drainage works in the area, when the man was buried under a mass of soil inside a trench.
Despite desperate efforts by co-workers, local residents and emergency responders from Greece’s national ambulance service, who performed CPR at the scene, the 46-year-old could not be saved. Authorities have already arrested a 69-year-old site supervisor, with charges relating to manslaughter by negligence and violations of workplace safety regulations.
Claims of a “Foretold Crime” and Removal of Machinery
A delegation from the Administration of the Ioannina Labor Center immediately arrived at the scene, describing the incident as a “foretold employer crime” in workplaces where safety measures are treated as an expense rather than a necessity. According to reports, most of the heavy machinery operating at the site was removed shortly after the accident.
The issue even reached the Greek Parliament, with Nikos Exarchos, a lawmaker from the Greek Communist Party (KKE), alleging that the worker was crushed because a special protective support frame had not been installed, as it “costs contractors time and money.” He also highlighted what he described as a lack of adequate inspection mechanisms.
Power Grid Worker Burned to Death in Athens
Just hours earlier, another tragedy unfolded in the Athens district of Patissia. A 52-year-old technician employed by Greece’s electricity distribution operator (HEDNO), was found burned to death following a serious incident involving high-voltage equipment during scheduled maintenance work on the power grid.
The man was rushed to the Red Cross Hospital, where doctors confirmed his death.
37-Year-Old Seriously Injured in Drapetsona
The grim list of workplace accidents continued with the serious injury of a 37-year-old worker employed by a private contractor at a shipyard in Drapetsona, near the port of Piraeus. The accident occurred during maintenance works on a Cyprus-flagged passenger and high-speed ferry vessel.
The injured worker was transported by ambulance operated by the Piraeus Port Authority (OLP) to the Attikon University Hospital, where he remains hospitalized.
Representatives from the administrations of the Attica Metal Workers Union and the Shipwrights Union also arrived at the scene, demanding a full investigation into the causes of the accident. They noted that during a recent protest at the Ministry of Shipping, they had already raised concerns about critical gaps in worker safety protections.
