In brief
An explosion in the historic Plaka district of Athens tore through a three‑storey holiday rental building, killing two and leaving four more missing, including a British national, a Greek and two American tourists. Fire officials suspect a gas leak as the cause. Emergency crews used excavators and thermal cameras to search the rubble. The blast also damaged neighbouring structures and prompted a citywide evacuation.
At least two people have died in an explosion that collapsed a building in the Plaka district of Athens, a neighbourhood near the Acropolis.
The blast tore through a three‑storey holiday rental property, killing an American man and woman. Four more—two U.S. tourists, a Greek and UK national—were reported missing, with authorities citing a suspected gas leak as the cause.
Emergency teams combed the rubble with excavators and thermal‑imaging cameras, finding the bodies of a woman on Saturday morning and a man later that day. Neighbouring buildings were damaged, debris scattering the narrow street between the Acropolis and the Temple of Olympian Zeus.
Athens Mayor Haris Doukas called the incident an “incredible disaster,” and a UK Foreign Office spokesperson said they were in touch with Greek officials. Locals reported injuries from falling material, prompting evacuations in the area.
