Three armed men held up an armored van on the busy Athens-Corinth national highway on Friday and made off with about 1 million euros in cash after attacking the vehicle with a hand grenade and gunfire.

Police said the holdup took place in the Corinth area when a car rammed the security van, forcing it to stop.

Other members of the gang were positioned nearby and immediately surrounded the armored car. They forced the driver and guard out of the vehicle by throwing a hand grenade at it and firing repeatedly at the windscreen, before grabbing the money.

The two guards suffered minor injuries and were taken to Corinth General Hospital.

Police said investigations are focusing on individuals who may have known the armored vehicle was carrying such a large amount of cash.