Two dead, 4 missing after explosion destroys building in Athens

Athens mayor ​Haris Doukas says it was likely linked to gas infrastructure, 'Something went terribly wrong'

Two people have died and another four are missing after a residential ​building collapsed following an explosion in a tourist area of ‌central Athens, a Greek fire brigade official said on Saturday.

The blast on Friday destroyed a two-storey building in Plaka, near some of Athens' most visited sites ​including the Acropolis and the Temple of Zeus, injuring three ​people, damaging nearby houses, shops and cars, and sending rubble ⁠and broken glass as far as three blocks away.

Emergency crews in ​heavy gear and red helmets, assisted by rescue dogs, were looking ​for an elderly couple who lived in one apartment and four tourists who were staying in another. They found the bodies of a man and a young ​woman on Saturday as they removed debris from the building, which ​was reduced to a mess of twisted metal, shattered tiles and concrete slabs, the ‌fire ⁠brigade official said.

Household items and clothing were strewn amid the debris.

Emergency personnel work at the site where an old building partially collapsed following an explosion, at the touristy Plaka area in central Athens, Greece. Photo: Reuters

"It (the rescue operation) is not easy, as the biggest part of the building has collapsed and there is a risk to adjacent buildings, which have been ​evacuated for security ​reasons," police ⁠spokesperson Constantina Dimoglidou told public broadcaster ERT on Saturday.

The tourists - two American couples - were expected to check out ​to catch a flight from Athens airport at ​3pm ⁠on Friday but didn't show up, a police source said.

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It was not immediately clear what caused the blast in an area which is home ⁠to ​many hotels and short-term rentals. Athens mayor ​Haris Doukas said on Friday it was likely linked to gas infrastructure. "Something went terribly wrong."