Tragic Athens Gas Explosion Claims Six Lives, Including Four US Tourists in Plaka District

Rescue teams have recovered the bodies of six people following a powerful building collapse caused by a blast in the historic centre of Athens, Greece, according to local authorities. Documents and belongings found with four of the victims—two men and two women—indicated they were United States citizens, as reported by Greek state broadcaster ERT and other local media.

The other two victims were reportedly an elderly couple, a British man and a Greek woman, who lived on the building’s second floor. Additionally, the fire department confirmed that two women were injured in an adjacent building.

The explosion, which brought down the small, two-storey building in the popular tourist district of Plaka on Friday, was believed to have been caused by a major gas leak, according to Athens Mayor Haris Doukas. Neighbouring buildings were damaged and evacuated.

“The damage extends to the entire street as well as the street behind [the building],” Doukas stated. “We are talking about an unimaginable catastrophe.” He added that two adjoining buildings were severely damaged and might have to be demolished.

The Greek daily newspaper Kathimerini reported that the four tourists, who were due to leave their accommodation at about 11:00am (08:00 GMT), failed to board their flight back to the US.

Plaka residents had previously issued warnings regarding the area. A group of local residents had alerted the municipality and the managers of the electricity and gas networks about the risks of short circuits or gas leaks a year ago. In a letter published by Kathimerini, the group called for a security exercise to identify potential shortcomings in the emergency response system. Furthermore, the citizen movement “We Remain Active” stated on social media that a resident on the affected street had reported a smell of gas for several weeks and warned the authorities. A Greek police spokeswoman confirmed on ERT that residents had indeed made the report, although the exact nature of the substance and its origin have not yet been determined. Plaka is located at the foot of the Acropolis, Greece’s most visited ancient monument.