Athens explosion flattens Plaka building near Acropolis as rescuers search

A powerful explosion in Athens on Friday morning brought down an old two-storey building in the Greek capital and injured at least two people, authorities said. The blast happened in the Plaka district near the ancient Acropolis, and rescue teams were searching the rubble for anyone still trapped.

The fire department said the building collapsed and nearby structures were also damaged. Residents said two people lived in one of the apartments, while media reports said three tourists may have been staying in a short-term rental apartment in the same building.

Firefighters rescued two women from an adjacent building, and police said both were being taken to hospital. Local media and a resident said a passer-by was also slightly injured in the blast. Police sealed off the area as rescue crews, helped by a sniffer dog, continued the search several hours after the explosion.

Resident Andreas Martzaklis said, "An elderly couple lived upstairs, on the second floor," adding that he did not know whether they had been inside at the time of the explosion or had managed to get out. He said one apartment in the collapsed building had been operating as a short-term rental, while the others were privately owned. "Who got out of the building that is destroyed, we don't know anything," he said. Martzaklis added that the people rescued from the adjacent building were all tourists.

The pastor of a nearby church said this Sunday's service would be held outdoors because the church was damaged in the blast. "Of course we went in. It was heartbreaking. From the bottom to the top, there is no window that has not been broken," said Giotis Kantartzis, pastor of the First Greek Evangelical Church in Athens. Video from the scene showed rubble scattered across the street and parked cars damaged by falling debris.

The cause of the explosion was not immediately clear, though local media said a gas leak was suspected. With the area still under cordon, rescue workers continued their operation in the damaged district as authorities worked to find out if anyone was missing.