Blast Collapses a Building in Athens' Plaka District at the Foot of the Acropolis
Firefighters pulled two women from a neighboring building and searched the rubble with a sniffer dog. Local media reported a suspected gas leak, and residents said an elderly couple and tourists may have been inside.
ATHENS, Greece — A powerful explosion tore through an old building in Athens' historic Plaka district on Friday morning, bringing the two-story structure down at the foot of the Acropolis and injuring at least two people who had to be rescued from the building next door, Greek authorities said.
The blast hit around 7:35 a.m. local time on Lysikratous Street, a short walk from Hadrian's Arch and the Temple of Olympian Zeus, in the oldest neighborhood of the Greek capital and one of its busiest tourist areas. The fire department said the building collapsed completely and neighboring buildings were damaged. Video from the scene showed rubble spilling across the narrow street and parked cars crushed under falling masonry.
Firefighters rescued two women from an adjacent building, and police said both were taken to a hospital. Greek media reported they were taken to Athens' Gennimatas Hospital with minor injuries. Local media and a resident said a passerby was also slightly hurt by flying debris. Police sealed off the area while rescuers and a sniffer dog moved slowly across the wreckage. The fire department said the search and rescue operation was still underway several hours after the blast.
It was not clear Friday how many people were inside when the building came down. Residents said an elderly couple lived in one apartment, and media reports said three tourists may have been staying in a short-term rental unit in the building. Some Greek outlets reported that as many as five people could be unaccounted for, though authorities had not confirmed that figure. "An elderly couple lived upstairs, on the second floor," said Andreas Martzaklis, who lives nearby and heard the explosion while drinking his morning coffee. He said he did not know whether they had been inside. "Who got out of the building that is destroyed, we don't know anything," he said. He added that the people rescued from the building next door were all tourists.
The cause of the explosion was not immediately known. Greek media said a gas leak was suspected, but officials had not confirmed it. The force of the blast reached well beyond the collapsed building. Giotis Kantartzis, pastor of the nearby First Greek Evangelical Church, said Sunday's service would be held outdoors because of the damage. "Of course we went in. It was heartbreaking," he said. "From the bottom to the top, there is no window that has not been broken."
Plaka sits directly beneath the Acropolis, Greece's most visited ancient monument, and its narrow lanes are lined with 19th-century homes, cafes and short-term rentals that draw millions of visitors a year. Greece has seen a sharp rise in short-term rental apartments in central Athens in recent years, a trend that has fueled a housing debate in the capital.
Investigators were expected to examine the site once the search was complete to determine what caused the explosion. Authorities were also checking the structural safety of surrounding buildings, several of which had shattered windows and damaged facades. There were no reports of damage to the Acropolis, which rises above the neighborhood.
