Thessaloniki, Greece – November 17, 2024: Vasilis Mantzouranis, 53, a founding member of the Greek rock band Dytikes Synoikies, was killed in a car crash in Thessaloniki on Saturday night (November 16, 2024).
The accident occurred at the intersection of Egnatia and Lagkada Streets. Mantzouranis was driving his car when it collided with another vehicle under circumstances that are still being investigated. He died at the scene.
Six other people were injured in the crash, five of whom were minors, including Mantzouranis’s two 16-year-old children. They were reportedly in the car with their father and two friends at the time of the accident. The children and their friends sustained injuries but are expected to recover.
A friend of Mantzouranis, speaking to newsit.gr, claimed the other driver ran a red light, causing the fatal collision. She stated that Mantzouranis was driving through the intersection on a green light when the other car sped through the red light, striking Mantzouranis’s vehicle. She also mentioned that Mantzouranis was on his way to pick up his children and their friends from the city center to bring them home.
Friends and fans of Mantzouranis have taken to social media to express their grief and share memories of the musician.
Dytikes Synoikies (Western Neighborhoods) was formed in Thessaloniki in April 1996 by childhood friends Kostas Mylosis and Vasilis Mantzouranis. The band was named after the western neighborhoods of Thessaloniki where they grew up. They released their first album, Tis Iridas ta chromata (The Colors of the Iris), in 2001, which featured popular songs like Kalokairina rantevou (Summer Rendezvous) and Pes mou giati (Tell me Why). Their second album, Makria sou (Far From You), released in 2003, sold 15,000 copies. After releasing four albums and enjoying a 13-year career, the band ceased activities in 2009.
