Emergency teams discovered victims after a two-storey building in the historic Plaka district collapsed ‘in seconds’.

Incident Overview

Greek authorities are investigating the cause of a two-storey apartment block in the heart of ancient Athens that collapsed suddenly, resulting in the deaths of six individuals. The tragic event occurred early on Saturday morning in the historic Plaka district. Emergency teams found the victims, including four American tourists, more than 24 hours after the explosion.

Victims Identified

The fire service reported that the bodies of three women and three men were recovered, but they have not yet been officially identified. Among the deceased were a British man and his Greek wife, aged 77 and 78, who resided on the upper floor of the building.

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“The bodies have been taken to the morgue where postmortems will be conducted,” said Paris Charlaftis, the city’s vice-mayor, in a telephone interview from the blast scene. “Our focus now is on the explosion’s cause. What could have happened to bring the building down in a matter of seconds?”

Rescue Efforts

Rescuers deployed thermal cameras and geophones to search for survivors, while earth-moving machines and specially trained search dogs combed through the rubble overnight. Prior to the recovery of the bodies, police reported that six individuals were missing, including four Americans who were staying in a short-term rental on the building’s first floor.

Two brothers and their wives were scheduled to fly back to the US on Friday, just hours after the explosion.