Plaka: Three Injured in Explosion — Two Women Rescued from Neighboring Building, Rescue Operation Ongoing

A gas explosion that struck Athens’ Plaka neighborhood near the Acropolis this morning has left three people injured — two women who were pulled from the neighboring building and taken to hospital, and a passerby with minor injuries, according to reports citing eKathimerini.

The two-story building on Lysikratous Street was rented out to tourists and had five people inside at the time of the blast, around 7:30 AM. Twenty-four firefighters were dispatched to the scene; the explosion tore the building’s facade apart, shattered windows and damaged parked cars, while debris was scattered across the street and the area was cordoned off by police.

Police’s initial theory of a bomb in a nearby car was dismissed; the main suspicion remains a gas leak. Authorities are also investigating the risk of a second collapse of the building, while the rescue operation continues.

Lysikratous Street in Plaka, near the Acropolis, where this morning’s explosion occurred (Photo: George E. Koronaios / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0). Source: The Sun / Sky News