A powerful explosion collapsed a building in the tourist district of Plaka in central Athens, near the Acropolis. At least two people were killed and three others injured. Several people, including foreign tourists, are still considered missing.
Rescuers pulled the bodies of a young woman and a man from the rubble. According to Greek media, the woman killed was an American tourist who was resting in the building with her husband and another couple.
Nearby shops and cars were also damaged by the explosion. Athens Mayor Haris Doukas called what happened a disaster, noting that there was destruction not only at the blast site but also in adjacent streets.
Law enforcement officials suspect the cause of Friday's explosion was a gas leak, but a final conclusion has not yet been reached.
Search and rescue operations are continuing at the scene.
Plaka is one of Athens' most vibrant and tourist-filled districts, and the complete collapse of a building in such a place raises serious questions not only about safety standards but also about the condition of old structures. If the gas leak hypothesis is confirmed, it will be a matter not of accident but of infrastructure deterioration that has been ignored for years. The death of the American tourist also brings the incident into an international context. Greece receives millions of visitors annually, and their safety has become an inseparable part of the country's economic interest.
It is not yet known whether the building had been inspected in recent years, and whether nearby structures are also in a dangerous condition. After the rescue operations are completed, tough questions are expected for city authorities. How the state responds will show whether this remains an isolated tragedy or becomes the start of broad reforms.
