Europe · updated 2h ago · 2 min read
Explosion Near Acropolis Collapses Plaka Building, Injures At Least Two People
Explosion in Plaka near the Acropolis damaged a building that partially collapsed. At least three people were injured, rescued from the aftermath.
Number of injured people.
8 of 9 outlets skipped it: police cordoned off the area with strong forces.
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Injury totals are inconsistent, signalling early reporting uncertainty.
Athens Blast, Plaka
An explosion in Athens' Plaka district, near the Acropolis, caused a building to collapse and left at least two people injured on Friday morning. Firefighters rescued the victims from a neighboring building that also suffered significant damage, and police cordoned off the area while rescuers surveyed for any more people trapped among the rubble.
Local press reported that a passerby sustained minor injuries, and local authorities said the cause of the explosion had not been confirmed, though a gas leak was suspected. Euronews said emergency crews reported one person injured and that they rescued two women from the building in Plaka, with both women transferred to hospital.E
Injuries and Rescue
The Fire Department said three people were injured, none seriously, after a building collapsed following a strong explosion initially attributed to a gas leak in Plaka near the Acropolis. Firefighters rescued two women who were trapped in a building adjacent to the collapsed structure, and local press said they were transported to a hospital with no threat to their lives.
ERT television reported that a passer-by suffered minor injuries and that one woman was safely extracted from the ruins of the building and another from an adjacent building, with both women reported as having non life-threatening injuries. Police spokeswoman Constantina Dimoglidou told ERT that the fire brigade had not yet concluded its site inspection, while a police source said at least five people lodged at the building, part of which was rented out to tourists.
Cause and Ongoing Checks
Multiple outlets described the blast as linked to a suspected gas leak, with local press indicating a gas leak as a possible source and ERT reporting that a gas leak was suspected.
Reuters said it was not immediately clear what caused the blast, and the fire brigade had not yet concluded its site inspection as emergency crews continued to assess the damage.
The explosion damaged adjacent structures, and Euronews said firefighters were inspecting the destroyed building and assessing the condition of surrounding structures to determine whether there was a risk of further collapses.E
Local resident Andreas Martzaklis said, "It was like the whole building, the whole block blew off. That's how strong it was," as authorities worked to establish what caused the explosion.