Six killed, including 4 Americans, in Athens gas explosion near the Acropolis

Rescue workers in Athens recovered six bodies from the ruins of a collapsed building on Saturday, a day after a powerful explosion tore through the historic Plaka tourist district near the Acropolis, killing four American tourists and an elderly British-Greek couple.

The blast struck a two-story building on Lysikratous Street shortly after 7:30 a.m. on Friday, September 25, reducing the structure to twisted metal, shattered tiles and concrete, according to Reuters. Athens Mayor Haris Doukas said the explosion was likely linked to a failure in the building's gas infrastructure.reuters+1

The Victims

The four Americans — described by Greek police as a couple, their son and his girlfriend — had been renting a first-floor apartment and were scheduled to check out Friday morning to catch a 3 p.m. flight home to the United States. They never arrived at Athens airport, prompting police to confirm them among the missing.upi+2

The other two victims were a 77-year-old British man and his 78-year-old Greek wife who lived on the building's second floor, the BBC reported, citing Greek state broadcaster ERT. Greek authorities had not publicly released the names or hometowns of any of the victims as of Saturday afternoon.cbsnews+3

Two women were rescued from an adjacent building and hospitalized, while a third person suffered minor injuries from flying debris.nbcnews+1

Search and Recovery

Around 30 firefighters with three search-and-rescue dogs spent more than 24 hours combing through the rubble, using thermal imaging cameras and acoustic detection equipment to locate victims. The first body was recovered early Saturday, and the final two were found around 2 p.m., fire brigade spokesman Vassilis Vathrakogiannis confirmed in a televised briefing.people+2

The explosion destroyed the building and sent rubble and broken glass as far as three blocks away, damaging neighboring homes, shops, cars and a nearby church whose Sunday service will now be held outdoors. Inspectors were assessing whether two adjacent buildings would need to be demolished.reuters+3

Investigation and Warnings

The exact cause remains under investigation, though witnesses reported smelling gas before the blast. Andreas Grammatikogiannis, Athens' deputy mayor for civil protection, told state news agency AMNA that the failure appeared to involve the building's internal gas network rather than the external supply.nypost+2

CBS News reported that a year ago, residents in the Plaka neighborhood had warned city authorities and utility companies about the risk of gas leaks, urging a fire drill to identify weaknesses in emergency response plans. A citizens' group said one resident on the same street had previously alerted authorities after smelling a possible gas leak.cbsnews

"We are talking about an incredible disaster," Mayor Doukas said.bbc+1