Six people killed in explosion at building in central Athens

Six people were killed as a result of a powerful explosion that led to a fire and the collapse of a three-story residential building in the central Athens district of Plaka on September 25.

This was reported by the television channel ERT-news.

According to its information, firefighters found the bodies of 6 people who had been considered missing while clearing the rubble. Their identification has begun. An elderly couple lived on the third floor of the building, and four American tourists were staying on the second floor. According to the fire service, no one lived on the first floor.

As a result of the explosion, which occurred on September 25 at 07:35 local time (the same as Moscow time), 3 people were also injured. Firefighters led two injured women out of a neighboring structure and took them to a hospital by ambulance. One more person, who was in the street, sustained light injuries from fragments. The explosion damaged neighboring buildings and parked cars.
The cause of the explosion has not yet been determined. According to one scenario, natural gas could have exploded in the building. Minister of Citizen Protection Michalis Chrysochoidis told the Greek television channel Skai that "the collapse of the building was probably caused by [an explosion and] a leak from a gas pipeline and, apparently, was not the consequence of a criminal offense."

Source: TASS