Four Americans are among the six people who died in an explosion and the collapse of a building in the tourist district of Plaka, in Athens, near the Acropolis, authorities said.
The explosion, which occurred at dawn on Friday, was probably caused by a gas leak, Athens mayor Haris Doukas said.
The other two people killed were a British elderly man and his Greek wife, who lived on the second floor of the three-story building, the Greek state-run network ERT.
The American family, made up of four members, was renting an apartment on the first floor and preparing to go to the airport hours later on Friday to return to the United States when the explosion occurred, according to the Kathimerini newspaper.
Athens blast horror – Six dead after building collapse in Greek capital’s historic Plaka districtThe blast struck Lysikratous Street on September 25 morning, damaging nearby buildings and parked cars.Two women were rescued and taken to hospital as authorities investigate the? pic.twitter.com/2Vc5MFz9nU
The explosion destroyed the residential building and caused damage to properties and vehicles on the street. Two women were injured in an adjacent building on Lysikratous Street, firefighters told the Associated Press.
The New York Times that the American family was made up of a couple, their son and his girlfriend. Greek authorities did not immediately disclose their identities, ages or origin in the United States.
On Saturday, AFP reporters observed excavators removing debris on the site and thermographic cameras deployed. “We’re talking about an incredible disaster,” Doukas said.
Two nearby buildings were in dangerous condition, he added, and inspections are being carried out “to determine whether they can stay standing or whether they should also be demolished.”
Video footage of the site showed debris scattered across the street, with parked cars crushed by the fall of the remains. The people rescued by firefighters from the adjacent building were all tourists.
Two nearby buildings were in dangerous condition, and inspections are being carried out to determine whether they can stay standing or whether they should also be demolished.
