An elderly British man and his Greek wife are feared to be dead after a powerful explosion in Athens killed six people.
A two-storey building collapsed in an explosion in the Plaka district of the Greek capital on Friday morning after a suspected gas leak, Athens Mayor Haris Doukas said.
On Saturday afternoon rescuers pulled out what they believed to be the last two bodies from the rubble, out of a total of six.
A couple – a British national and a Greek woman, aged 78 and 77 – are believed to be among those killed, according to local reports, which say they lived on the second floor of the building.
Thirty firefighters and three search and rescue dogs were deployed to the scene of the explosion. Credit: AP
Documents and belongings found with four of the victims – two men and two women – indicated they were US tourists, according to Greek state broadcaster ERT. It is understood that they were renting a short-term apartment.
According to reports, the Americans were scheduled to depart from Athens airport at 3.30pm on a Delta Airlines service but missed their flight.
A team of 30 firefighters with six vehicles, including two special rescue vehicles as well as three search and rescue dogs, were involved in the search operation.
Cars were smashed and the streets were covered in rubble after the huge explosion in Athens. Credit: AP
The people rescued by the fire department from the adjacent building were all tourists, resident Andreas Martzaklis said.
The powerful blast occurred at 7.35am on 15 Lysikratous Street, in the Greek capital’s tourist district, near the ancient Acropolis, Greece’s most visited ancient monument.
The streets were covered in rubble and parked cars were smashed by falling debris. The pastor of a nearby church said that this Sunday’s service would be held outdoors because of damage to the church.
Authorities are investigating the cause of the explosion.
The Mayor of Athens, Haris Doukas, said on Friday: “I understand that it was caused by the gas, and the intensity of it is terrifying. But that means there was a very serious malfunction somewhere. Something went completely wrong.”
A UK Foreign Office spokesperson said: “We are aware of a suspected explosion in Athens and are in touch with the local authorities. We stand ready to offer assistance to British Nationals abroad 24/7.”
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