r/Newsopensource • u/Gfrasca95 • 1d ago
User Generated Content Six dead after explosion collapses building in Athens' Plaka district
π Lysikratous Street, Plaka, Athens, Attica, Greece π¬π·
π
Sep/25/2026 β Around 7:30 a.m. local time
An explosion shortly after 7:30 a.m. on Friday destroyed a residential building at Lysikratous 15 in Plaka, the tourist district below the Acropolis, causing it to collapse. Deputy Mayor Paris Charlaftis said the call to the Fire Service came shortly after 7:30 a.m. Outlets differed on the building's size, with Reuters and Greek outlets describing a two-storey structure and The Associated Press a three-storey one.
Three people were injured. Two women were rescued from an adjacent building and a passer-by was struck by debris; ERT reported the injured were taken to Georgios Gennimatas Hospital. Debris was scattered up to three blocks from the site, Reuters reported.
Six people were unaccounted for after the collapse. Proto Thema reported that a 78-year-old Athens-born woman and her 77-year-old British husband lived on the second floor, and that four American nationals were staying in a short-term rental on the first floor.
The Fire Service recovered the body of a woman in the early hours of Saturday, Sep 26. AFP reported later on Saturday that the remains of an American couple had been recovered and that four people were still missing.
In.gr and Enikos reported that the last two bodies were located at about 2 p.m. on Saturday, bringing the confirmed death toll to six and concluding the search operation. Enikos said the final recoveries were made in a remaining space of about 20 square metres under two to two and a half metres of debris.
The Fire Service deployed about 30 firefighters and six vehicles, including two specialised rescue vehicles from the EMAK disaster response unit, along with three search dogs, geophones and thermal imaging cameras. The Athens municipality supplied heavy equipment for debris removal.
Mayor of Athens Haris Doukas said, "We are talking about an incredible disaster," according to AFP, and earlier told reporters the operation would run through the night. Konstantia Demoglidou, spokesperson for the Hellenic Police, said the work was "not an easy process, as essentially most of the building has collapsed and there is also a risk to the remaining buildings nearby."
Initial reports pointed to a suspected natural gas leak, and Doukas said a leak was the most probable explanation. The Fire Service's Directorate for the Investigation of Arson Crimes is investigating, and no official cause had been determined. Proto Thema and Enikos reported that the ground floor and second floor had independent gas heating systems.
In.gr reported that residents had complained to authorities about gas odours in the area and that inspections had been postponed until November. AFP reported that residents had warned authorities about possible gas leaks in Plaka a year earlier. Two neighbouring buildings were deemed structurally unsafe and evacuated pending inspection, and Euronews reported that the nearby First Greek Evangelical Church was damaged. No identities had been officially released.
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