Plaka: Two dead and four missing after explosion — rescue teams pull two bodies from rubble

Two people have died and four others are missing after an explosion leveled a two-storey building in the historic Plaka district of Athens on Friday, a fire brigade official said on Saturday, as Reuters reports. The bodies of a man and a young woman were recovered from the rubble on Saturday morning, while rescue teams continue the search with sniffer dogs.

The blast destroyed the building on Lysikratous Street, near some of Athens’ most visited sites, including the Acropolis. Three people were injured, and damage was caused to nearby homes, shops and vehicles. According to police sources, two American couples had rented the ground floor through a short-term rental platform; they were due to check out at 3 p.m. on Friday to catch a flight from Athens airport but never showed up. The young woman found dead is believed to be part of this group of tourists.

The second floor was home to an elderly couple: a 77-year-old British man and his 78-year-old Greek wife. Neighbours said they saw them on the balcony shortly before the explosion, at around 7:35 on Friday morning. Firefighters believe a gas leak in the second floor’s supply line may have been the cause, but the full investigation will only begin once the search-and-rescue operation is complete.

Around 30 firefighters with six vehicles are working at the scene, including two special units of the Greek disaster response service (EMAK), an arson-crimes unit team and three sniffer dogs trained to find signs of life under rubble. Athens mayor Haris Doukas said the neighbouring building and the ground under the site are unstable, so crews are removing concrete slabs one by one to avoid further collapse. “These are painful hours,” he said.

Police spokeswoman Constantina Dimoglidou told public broadcaster ERT that the operation “is not easy, since most of the building has collapsed and there is a risk to the adjacent buildings, which have been evacuated for safety reasons”. The cause of the explosion has not yet been officially determined; mayor Doukas said on Friday that it was likely linked to the gas infrastructure. “Something went terribly wrong,” he said.