On October 3, 1944, a German convoy, reinforced by Italian troops and armed Komitadjis, moved out from the Kastoria garrison to kill guerrilla groups and their supporters in the surrounding villages. The village of Melanthio, already known to the occupation authorities as a center of guerrilla activity, was immediately targeted by the operation.

On October 4, the coordinated occupation forces entered Melanthio, which had already been abandoned by its inhabitants. Informed of the impending attack, the inhabitants had fled to the forested and mountainous areas surrounding the village in search of shelter. In an attempt to locate guerrilla groups, the occupying forces organized pursuit operations in the outskirts of Melanthio, but were unable to locate any guerrilla groups. After unsuccessful efforts, the occupying forces proceeded to the mass burning of buildings in Melanthio, causing extensive damage to the residential fabric of the village. Overall, the material damage during the massacre of Melanthio was severe: about 110 houses out of a total of 145 were completely destroyed, while another 35 survived with minor material damage.

At the same time, two residents died, and six others were injured during the pursuit on October 4. The survivors, who returned to the village from the surrounding areas where they had taken refuge, found their village in ruins. As a result, they were forced to abandon Melanthio for several months before finally returning to rebuild it from the ground up.

In April 2019, the Greek state will honor the memory of the victims of the massacre by declaring Melanthio a Martyred Village by Presidential Decree No. 29/12.04.2019.