Four unconscious people pulled from ruins of building near Acropolis in Athens — TimesLIVE

In the Plaka district of Athens, Greece, near the Acropolis, rescuers pulled four unconscious people from beneath the rubble of a two-story building. The building collapsed after a powerful explosion on Friday morning, and the search operation continued on Saturday.

Search operation in Plaka

According to the fire service, the fourth unconscious person was found beneath the debris of the building in the historic part of Athens, at the foot of Acropolis Hill. Earlier on Saturday, an ambulance took away an unconscious woman and man.

Two other women were injured in a neighboring building on Lysicratus Street, firefighters said. Thirty rescuers and three dogs were involved in the search and rescue operation. Rescuers also continued searching for other possible victims.

More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.

Probable cause of the explosion

Athens Mayor Haris Doukas said on Friday evening that the explosion was likely caused by a major gas leak. According to him, neighboring buildings were also damaged and people were evacuated from them.

Video from the scene shows debris scattered across the street, as well as parked cars damaged by falling rubble. Area resident Andreas Martzaklis said that all the people firefighters rescued from the neighboring building were tourists. The pastor of a nearby church said that due to damage to the church, Sunday service would be held outdoors, TimesLIVE reports.

The circumstances of the explosion are under investigation.