Fire in Greek biscuit factory kills four, one missing

A fire that broke out after an explosion at ?a biscuit factory near the central Greek city of Trikala has left ?four people dead and one missing.

A total of 53 ?firefighters assisted by 16 trucks and 10 more vehicles tackled the blaze that engulfed factory facilities on Monday.

Its owner, Violanta SA, said the cause was unclear, according to a statement cited by the Athens News Agency.

Eight of 13 ?people at the ?factory had managed to escape, fire officials told Reuters.

Four ?bodies were recovered, the fire brigade said adding that investigators and disaster response units were at the scene.

Greece's largest labour union GSEE said the four victims were women and demanded a thorough investigation.

The strong blast in ?the early morning hours was most probably due ?to a gas leak according to initial evidence collected by experts. Their probe, supervised by ?a prosecutor, is expected to conclude in the coming days.

Six people ?including a firefighter were treated at a local hospital, mainly for respiratory problems, but their lives were not at risk, the Health Minister ?Adonis ?Georgiadis told ERTnews radio earlier.

"We ?express our deep sorrow and shock ?at the tragic event that occurred at our factory in Trikala. Our only concern is to stand with respect and support next to the families of the people we lost," Violanta said in a second statement cited by the Athens News Agency.