Shooting on Greek island of Crete leaves 2 dead and at least 6 injured

Two people have died and at least six others were injured on Saturday in a shooting on the Greek island of Crete reportedly sparked by a long-standing family feud, authorities said.

The incident began shortly after 11 a.m. in the village of Vorizia, located 52 kilometers (32 miles) south of Heraklion, the island’s largest city.

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 shooting prompted a large deployment of security forces and emergency teams to the small mountain town where authorities have opened a preliminary investigation.

The incident appears to be the latest episode in a long-running feud between two local families, according to local media, and comes after an explosion on Friday night at a house under construction. No one was injured.

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.