General Staff express condolences with family of soldier killed in grenade blast

The Hellenic National Defense General Staff has expressed its condolences to the family of the 19-year-old professional soldier who was killed during a scheduled hand-grenade training session on Rhodes, saying the causes of the incident are being investigated.

The deceased soldier, who was unmarried, was from Tympaki, Iraklio, Crete, and was the son of a coast guard officer.

The 39-year-old sergeant injured in the blast had his arm amputated below the elbow and suffered extensive shrapnel wounds. He is the father of two children.

In a social media post, Rhodes Mayor Alexandros Koliadis expressed the sorrow of the local community over the death of the 19-year-old and wished that the injured man’s condition would stabilize.

The incident occurred shortly after 10 a.m. in the coastal Afantou area, when two military ordnance personnel were handling weapons and hand grenades. Preliminary reports indicate that the explosion was triggered when one of the soldiers accidentally set off a defensive hand grenade during an ammunition inspection.

Hardware failure has not been ruled out.