More than 16 years after the Marfin Bank arson attack on May 5, 2010 — a tragedy that claimed the lives of three employees and an unborn child — survivor Maria Karagianni recounted the harrowing moments she endured inside the building on Stadiou Street in Athens.
A Trauma Reawakened
Speaking to Live News, Karagianni described her emotional reaction upon learning of recent arrests related to the case: “I felt deep distress — my first emotion today. All the memories came flooding back: unbearable pain, unanswered questions. Why were our three colleagues taken so unjustly? We feel profoundly wronged. It could just as easily have been us.”
Full Awareness of Human Presence
Karagianni stressed that the perpetrators knew people were inside the building. “They had full awareness,” she said. “When they smashed the windows and threw the flammable liquid, my colleagues screamed. We pleaded with them not to burn us — not to attack us. I’ve heard claims from others that ‘they didn’t know’ — that’s simply false. They saw us. They heard us screaming. We shouted, ‘Please don’t throw it!’”
Escape From Smoke and Suffocation
Her account of the ordeal leading up to her rescue was chilling: “When the windows shattered, it felt like an earthquake. I was in the basement and immediately called the police. After giving them information, I tried calling the emergency medical service at 166 — but communications had already failed. So I climbed as high as I could to breathe. Then I went out onto the balcony, where I stayed with four other colleagues. Three managed to cross to adjacent balconies. I held onto a transaction ledger and the building keys — a moment of total panic, impossible to manage calmly. Then came the smoke. I thought, ‘I have no more air to breathe.’ For a week afterward, our bodies vomited ash and charred debris.”
A Call for Justice
Karagianni concluded with a firm demand: “This time, we hope it’s not misinformation or a media game. Those responsible must stand trial — and go to prison.”