2 November 2025

Police forces are meticulously combing the area inch by inch around Vorizia and beyond, following the deadly incident and the revival of the local vendetta. The intense search operations in the village are aimed at locating the perpetrators and recovering the weapons used, which are expected to significantly aid in the investigation.

Specifically, police officers conducted “door-to-door” searches in the village houses, while also examining potential escape routes for the perpetrators through the gorge near the village. So far, none of the wanted individuals nor the arsenal of weapons believed to be hidden in the area have been located.

Meanwhile, the Police proceeded with two detentions (for questioning), both of whom are members of the two families, Kargakis and Frangiadakis, involved in the vendetta. One person was detained for an undeclared weapon. Police investigations are ongoing to ascertain who participated in yesterday’s bloodshed, with reports suggesting at least five individuals involved are hiding in the mountains.

Regarding the funeral of 39-year-old Fanouris Kargakis—who witnesses claim fired the first shot that led to the unprecedented exchange of gunfire—it appears to be postponed and will not take place today as scheduled, for security reasons.

On Saturday evening, the Kargakis family, amidst silent grief, baptized three of the five children in a neighboring village, as required by local custom, so that they could attend their father’s burial.

Death of 56-Year-Old Woman Caused by a Firearm

According to the death certificate of the 56-year-old woman, a nurse, her death in Vorizia was caused by a firearm, although it was initially reported that she suffered a heart attack. The 56-year-old worked at the Chania General Hospital and had traveled to the village to attend her father’s annual memorial service.

The Village is a ‘Fortress’

The atmosphere is tense in the blood-soaked village of Vorizia in Heraklion, Crete, which has been transformed into a fortress by heavily armed police deployed there, amid fears of a new cycle of clashes. Strong Greek Police forces also remain stationed at the two hospitals in Heraklion where the victims were transported.

The night was very difficult for the residents, a large number of whom have already left the village. There are also some who chose not to leave but are locked inside their homes.

The unprecedented bloody clash, which has its roots in one of Crete’s oldest vendettas, dating back to 1955 with mutual loss of lives, took place on Saturday morning, resulting in two fatalities and four injuries.

The next moves of the police forces—as well as the progress of the investigations—were discussed in the extensive meeting held late last night, chaired by the Chief of the Greek Police, Lieutenant General Dimitris Mallios, who arrived in Crete with a delegation from the Directorate for Combating Organized Crime, and with the participation of the Director of the DAOE and the heads of local police forces.