Six people were killed when an explosion brought down a two-storey building in Plaka, Athens’s historic centre, local authorities said. Four of the victims were US citizens — two men and two women — while the other two were an elderly couple: a British man and a Greek woman. Two women were injured in a neighboring building.
The blast happened on Friday. Athens Mayor Haris Doukas said a major gas leak was believed to be a possible cause, but authorities have not yet identified the substance or its origin. Nearby buildings were damaged and evacuated. Doukas said two adjoining structures were so badly affected that they might have to be demolished.
Documents and belongings found with the four tourists indicated that they were US citizens, Greek media reported. Kathimerini said the group had been due to leave their accommodation at about 11am but did not board their return flight to the United States. Plaka sits below the Acropolis, Greece’s most visited ancient site.
Residents had raised safety concerns before the explosion. A local group said it had warned the municipality and electricity and gas network managers a year earlier about the risk of short circuits or leaks and called for a safety exercise to identify weaknesses in emergency response.
The civic group We Remain Active said a resident of the street had reported smelling gas for several weeks and warned authorities. A Greek police spokeswoman confirmed to ERT that a report had been made. Investigators have not yet determined what substance caused the blast or where it came from.