Building collapses after blast in Athens: 4 Americans, British man among 6 killed; cause not known
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Building collapses after blast in Athens: 4 Americans, British man among 6 killed; cause not known")
A blast brought down a residential building in Athens’ Plaka district Photograph: (AFP)
A blast brought down a residential building in Athens’ Plaka district, killing six people, including four American tourists and a British man. A gas leak has been suggested as a possible cause, but officials have not confirmed it. Two nearby buildings were also declared potentially unsafe.
A blast brought down a small Athens residential building killing six people on Saturday (Sep 26). Four American tourists and one British man were among the ones who were confirmed dead. While the American tourists had been staying in near the Acropolis, an elderly British man and his Greek wife lived on the second-storey of the three-storey building, officials said. The explosion, which occurred at dawn on Friday in the Plaka district filled with tourist lodgings, was reportedly caused by a gas leak, according to the capital's mayor, Haris Doukas, however, official reason is not known. The explosion brought down the residential building and damaged properties and vehicles along the street. The neighbourhood is one of Athens's most popular tourist areas. The nearby Acropolis, one of Greece's best-known landmarks, welcomed 4.6 million visitors last year.
The owner of the ground-floor apartment, Mathaios Artavanis, told the Kathimerini daily he was absent at the time of the blast. He said he had tried afterwards to contact the UK-Greek couple who lived there, without success. "We are talking about an incredible disaster," mayor Doukas said. Two nearby buildings were left in a dangerous state, he added, with inspections under way “to determine if they can remain standing or if they also have to be demolished.” A citizens' group said on social media that one resident in the street where the explosion happened had alerted authorities after smelling a possible gas leak.
A US State Department spokesperson has confirmed that four Americans were also killed in the explosion. "We offer our sincerest condolences to the family and loved ones on their loss," they said. “The Department of State is providing consular assistance to the family. Out of respect for their privacy during this difficult time, we have no further comment,” it added. A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: "We are aware of a suspected explosion in Athens and are in touch with the local authorities.
"We stand ready to offer assistance to British nationals abroad 24/7."
Meanwhile, the city’s vice-mayor, Paris Charlaftis said, “The bodies have been taken to the morgue where postmortems will be conducted. Our focus now is on the explosion’s cause. What could have happened to bring the building down in a matter of seconds?” Officials have not confirmed the reason for the blast, and said there were many “cogent theories” including the one about gas leak emanating from the first-floor.
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