A 56-year-old woman was one of two people shot dead during a dramatic gunfight in a mountain village in Crete that police believe is linked to a family vendetta.
Suspects armed with AK-47 assault rifles and shotguns carried out their assault in Vorizia, 32 miles southwest of the island capital Iraklio, shortly after 11am on Saturday.
The two victims, a 39-year-old man and a 56-year-old woman, died as a result of the shootout, police said in a statement.
Six other people were taken to local hospitals with injuries of varying severity, local emergency services EKAB said in a statement.
Two injured men are in hospital and ‘under guard, and their participation in the armed incident is under investigation,’ police said.
The head of Greek police, other senior officers and reinforcements headed to the remote area while on-site officers searched houses, local media reported.
Police have not made any arrests and some of those involved are believed to have fled to a nearby ravine.
Heavily armed police earlier surrounded the village so ambulances could pick up the injured.
A 56-year-old woman was one of two people shot dead during a dramatic gunfight in a Cretan mountain village on Saturday. Pictured: Armed police stand guard following the incident
Heavily armed police earlier surrounded the village so ambulances could pick up the injured
At least six people were also injured in the incident. Pictured: Special police units at the scene
The incident occurred just hours after a house under construction in the village was targeted with an explosive device on Friday night, a police official said on condition of anonymity.
No injuries were reported following the explosion.
According to Greek public broadcaster ERT, the two families had had conflicts in the past linked to grazing lands, which were resolved through private mediation, a common practice in rural areas of Crete.
The dispute was reignited last year when a member of one family bought land to build a house in an area controlled by the other, local media reported. That house was the scene of Friday’s explosion, according to reports.
The dramatic gunfight took place in Vorizia on the Greek island of Crete on Saturday morning
Family vendettas are said to be common on the island. Pictured: Armed police arrive at the scene in Vorizia on Saturday
Illegal gun ownership is said to be rife on Crete and family vendettas are common on the island.
Guns are often fired to mark celebrations at weddings and festivals.
Last Sunday, a 23-year-old shot and killed a 52-year-old man during a village celebration in western Crete.
A campaign in 2005, backed by the late, legendary Cretan Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis, encouraged locals to avoid pointless gun violence but to little effect.
