The bodies of two American tourists, a man and a woman, were found today in the rubble of the building that collapsed on Friday after an explosion in the historic center of Athens, while four other people remain missing.
© REUTERS/Louisa Gouliamaki
26/09/2026
by
Lusa
Dand according to the Greek emergency services, the two victims were housed in a tourist apartment on the first floor of the building in Plaka neighborhood, along with another American couple.
Six people were initially reported missing: the four American tourists and an elderly couple, consisting of a British citizen and a Greek woman, who lived on the second floor, according to public television ERT.
The two-storey building, located in Plaka, in the vicinity of the Acropolis, collapsed on Friday about 7:30 locals (05:30 in Lisbon), following an explosion that the mayor of Athens, Haris Doukas, believes was caused by a gas leak.
“ The damage extends to the whole street, as well as to the street situated in the back [of the building]”, said the person responsible, classifying the event as an “unimaginable disaster”.
Thirty firefighters, supported by six vehicles and three rescue dogs, participate in operations, while machines remove debris and rescuers use thermal cameras to search for the missing.
A specialized fire department is still at the scene investigating the causes of the explosion.
Two adjoining buildings have also been severely damaged and have been evacuated, inspections being carried out to determine whether they can stand or have to be demolished.
Two women were removed from a nearby building affected by the explosion and hospitalized, while another person suffered minor injuries caused by the projected wreckage.
The violence of the explosion also damaged other buildings and cars parked in the area and forced a church to transfer the mass scheduled for Sunday abroad.
A year before the explosion, a movement of Plaka residents had alerted the municipality and those responsible for the electricity and natural gas distribution networks to potential risks related to a short circuit or a gas leak.
According to the Greek newspaper Kathimerini, which published the letter on its website, residents asked for a fire prevention exercise to identify possible faults in the emergency response device.
Plaka is one of the most touristic districts of the Greek capital and extends to the Acropolis, which received 4.6 million visitors in 2025.