Explosion destroys residential building in Athens, killing six — Cyprus Mail

Six people were killed after an explosion caused the collapse of a two-story residential building in the Plaka district in central Athens, Greece. Three others were injured, Cyprus Mail reports, citing a representative of the Greek fire service.

US tourists among the dead

The dead included four American tourists and an elderly couple from Greece. According to a police source, the two American couples were due to leave the accommodation on Friday to catch a 15:00 flight from Athens airport, but did not show up.

The explosion occurred on Friday in the tourist district of Plaka, near the Acropolis and the Temple of Zeus. The blast wave damaged neighboring buildings, shops and cars. Debris and shattered glass were scattered up to three blocks away, while belongings and clothing lay among the rubble.

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

Neighboring buildings evacuated

Police spokesperson Konstantina Dimoglidou told state broadcaster ERT that the rescue operation was complicated because most of the building had collapsed. According to her, there is a risk to adjacent structures, so they were evacuated for safety reasons.

The cause of the explosion has not yet been established. Athens Mayor Haris Doukas said on Friday that the incident was likely related to gas infrastructure.