Six people, including four American tourists, have died after a suspected gas leak caused a blast and collapsed a building in Athens’s historic Plaka district.
Rescue teams recovered the victims from the ruins on Saturday. Documents and belongings reportedly indicated that the four tourists – two men and two women – were US citizens.
The other two victims were reported to be a British man and a Greek woman who lived on the building’s second floor. Two women were injured in a neighbouring building, according to the fire department.
The small, two-storey property was destroyed in Friday’s explosion, which also damaged nearby buildings. Athens mayor Haris Doukas said the blast was believed to have been caused by a major gas leak.
Several buildings in the area were evacuated, while two adjoining properties were so badly damaged that they might have to be demolished.
“The damage extends to the entire street as well as the street behind [the building],” Mr Doukas said. “We are talking about an unimaginable catastrophe.”
The four American tourists had reportedly been due to leave their accommodation at about 11am but failed to board their flight back to the US.
Warnings over gas leaks in Plaka
Residents in Plaka had warned the municipality and the managers of the electricity and gas networks about the risk of short circuits or gas leaks in the area a year ago.
In a letter, a local group called for a security exercise to identify possible weaknesses in the emergency response system.
The citizen movement We Remain Active also said on social media that a resident of the street where the explosion occurred had reported smelling gas for several weeks and had alerted the authorities.
A Greek police spokeswoman confirmed that residents had made the report. However, the nature of the substance involved and its origin have not yet been established.
Plaka is located at the foot of the Acropolis, Greece’s most visited ancient monument.
