Five people missing after explosion in Plaka
Rescue services search the ruins of a collapsed building in Athens's historic centre.
Five people are missing after the explosion in the Athens district of Plaka. Rescue services are searching for an elderly couple and three tourists; the Greek authorities have not yet established whether they were in the building during the explosion.
The explosion occurred on Friday morning on Lysikratous Street, near the Acropolis. The building partially collapsed after the explosion. According to Greek public broadcaster ERT, three people from neighbouring buildings were taken to hospital.
The five missing people are believed to be an elderly couple who lived on one floor and three tourists who had rented a short-stay apartment. The fire service is still investigating whether all five were actually present at the time of the explosion.
According to ERT, rescuers are using thermal cameras and specially trained dogs, among other equipment. The search continued through the night. Municipal services also assessed damage to neighbouring buildings.
A gas leak has been cited as a possible cause by local authorities and experts. However, the precise cause has not yet been established. The Greek fire service and police still have to determine where the explosion began and whether safety systems worked.
Plaka is one of Athens's most visited historic districts and lies directly beneath the Acropolis. The explosion damaged neighbouring buildings, vehicles and shops, but the full extent of the damage is not yet known.
Some headlines refer to a fatality. The reviewed public sources could not confirm this through an official body at the time of writing. This article therefore mentions only the five missing people and the three injured people reported by multiple sources.
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This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The key facts have been confirmed by the Greek public broadcaster and international public reporting. The text keeps the suspected gas cause and unconfirmed reports of a fatality outside the established facts.
- confirmed Five people are missing after the explosion in Plaka. — Reported by ERT News, Euronews and Kathimerini. source
- confirmed The missing people are an elderly couple and three tourists, but it has not been established whether they were in the building. — Reported by ERT News. source
- confirmed Three people were injured. — Reported by ERT News and Kathimerini. source
- confirmed Rescuers used thermal cameras and search dogs. — Reported by ERT News. source
- confirmed A gas leak is considered a possible cause, but the cause has not yet been definitively established. — Local sources cite a suspected gas leak and stress that a technical investigation is needed. source
Editor's note
The five missing people, three injured people, the location and the suspected but unconfirmed gas cause were checked against Greek and international public sources. A fatality could not be officially confirmed and has therefore not been included as a fact.Sources
More on this in Dutch media
- NOS — „athene plaka”
- Het Parool — „athene plaka”
- Trouw — „athene plaka”