Two killed as blast levels building in Athens, authorities say

A deadly explosion ripped through one of Athens’ busiest tourist quarters, flattening a residential building in Plaka and leaving rescuers racing against time to find four missing people.

Two people have died and another four are missing after a residential building collapsed following an explosion in a tourist area of central Athens.

The blast yesterday destroyed a two-storey building in Plaka, near some of Athens’ most visited sites including the Acropolis and the Temple of Zeus.

Three people were injured in the blast which damaged nearby houses, shops and cars and sent rubble and broken glass as far as three blocks away.

Emergency crews, wearing heavy protective gear and red helmets and working alongside rescue dogs, searched the wreckage for an elderly couple who lived in one apartment and four tourists who were staying in another.

They found the bodies of a man and a young woman this morning as they removed debris from the building which was reduced to a rubble of twisted metal, shattered tiles and concrete slabs, the fire brigade official said.

Household items and clothing were strewn amid the debris.

“It (the rescue operation) is not easy as the biggest part of the building has collapsed and there is risk for adjacent buildings which have been evacuated for security reasons,” police spokeswoman Constantina Dimoglidou told public broadcaster ERT.

The tourists – two American couples – were expected to check out to depart from Athens airport yesterday, a police source said.

It was not immediately clear what caused the blast in an area which is home to many hotels and short-term rentals.

Athens mayor Haris Doukas said that it was likely linked to gas infrastructure. “Something went terribly wrong.”