Doukas from the scene in Plaka: “The explosion may have come from an extensive leak — this is a major catastrophe”

The mayor of Athens, Haris Doukas, went on Friday evening to the scene in Plaka, on Lysikratous Street, where firefighters, EMAK units and municipal services continue the search-and-rescue operation. From the scene, he described the explosion as “unprecedented” and the extent of the destruction as “frightening.”

“Work continues. All the machinery is here. The effort will last all night,” Doukas declared, adding that the Minister of Civil Protection, Evangelos Tournas, was also at the scene. According to him, the municipality is assisting the operation, while coordination of the search belongs to the firefighters. “These are difficult hours. We stop whenever we need to, to see if any sound is heard — which would mean something positive could happen. These are hours of anxiety,” the mayor said.

On the possible cause of the explosion, Doukas said it may have come from an “extensive leak,” but stressed there is no official conclusion yet. He said a competent prosecutor has been assigned to the investigation and that the first data has already been gathered, but the current priority remains finding the six missing people. “Currently there is no new news about the six missing. The entire procedure is being carried out with great care,” he said.

According to Doukas, the greatest damage is concentrated on the front part of the building, while the blast wave hit the area over a wide radius — two or three buildings across the street also suffered serious damage. The two neighboring buildings are in very bad condition, have been evacuated, and it is being examined whether they can remain standing or will have to be demolished. “The damage is across the whole street. Even on the street behind, the wave reached the opposite sidewalk. We are talking about an unbelievable catastrophe,” he concluded, as ProtoThema reports.