Athens Plaka Building Collapse: Bodies of American Couple Recovered, Four Still Missing
A day after a powerful explosion flattened a two-storey residential building in Plaka, beneath the Acropolis, rescue crews made a grim discovery: two bodies recovered from the rubble on Saturday were those of an American couple visiting Greece, according to AFP reporting. The recovery of the second body pushed the death toll in the Athens Plaka building collapse to two, with four people still missing. Crews continued digging through unstable debris on Saturday amid fears for neighbouring buildings that were hastily evacuated.
What happened on Friday
The explosion struck at about 7:30–7:35 a.m. local time on Friday, September 25, destroying the building on Lysikratous Street in Plaka, the historic neighbourhood below the Acropolis and close to the Temple of Zeus, Reuters reported. Three people were injured in the blast, which was so powerful that rubble and shattered glass were thrown up to three blocks away.
Nearby homes, shops and cars were damaged, and a local church was hit hard enough that its Sunday service was moved outdoors, according to Daily Sabah. The cause of the explosion has not been officially established.
Saturday’s recovery operation
The search-and-rescue effort intensified on Saturday with about 30 rescuers, three sniffer dogs, mechanical diggers and thermal-imaging cameras working through the wreckage, AFP reported via EWN. Early Saturday morning, crews recovered the body of a young woman; later in the day, the body of a man was also pulled from the rubble.
That changed the figures: Reuters had initially reported one dead and five missing, but the updated toll stands at two dead and four missing, as reflected in a CNBC TV18 wire report timestamped September 26, carrying the Reuters update.
Police spokeswoman Constantina Dimoglidou told public broadcaster ERT on Saturday that the operation was far from easy: “It (the rescue operation) is not easy as the biggest part of the building has collapsed and there is risk for adjacent buildings which have been evacuated for security reasons,” Reuters reported. A specialist fire team is investigating the cause of the blast at the site.
Who is missing
Officials have confirmed limited details about the victims and the missing. The two bodies recovered on Saturday were identified as an American couple visiting Greece; authorities did not immediately release their identities, AFP reported.
Among the four still missing are an elderly British man and a Greek woman who shared an apartment in the building, according to the same AFP reporting. Crews had also been searching for four tourists who were staying in another apartment and who were expected to check out to catch a 3 p.m. Friday flight from Athens airport — but never showed up, Reuters reported.
No further nationalities have been confirmed by officials or the wires, and no additional identities have been released.
Cause still under investigation
On Friday, Athens mayor Haris Doukas said the explosion was likely linked to gas infrastructure, telling reporters: “Something went terribly wrong.” Reuters reported. However, the cause has not been officially established, and investigators from the fire service are still examining the site.
On Saturday, the mayor described the scene in stark terms: “We are talking about an incredible disaster.” Damage from the blast occurred along the street and behind it, he said, and two nearby buildings were left in a dangerous state. Inspections are under way to decide whether those buildings can remain standing or must be demolished, AFP reported.
The warning a year ago
The disaster has revived uncomfortable questions about warnings that residents say went unheeded. A year ago, locals in Plaka wrote to the city and utility companies warning about gas-leak or short-circuit risks, urging authorities to take action — including a fire drill — in a residents’ association letter published by the Kathimerini newspaper, AFP reported.
Whether the building’s infrastructure played a role in Friday’s blast is now a central question for the investigation — and one officials will face pressure to answer.
Context and what to watch next
Plaka is one of Athens’s busiest tourist districts, and the stakes of the disaster are high: the nearby Acropolis welcomed 4.6 million visitors last year, AFP noted. The explosion hit at the heart of a neighbourhood that is central to Greece’s tourism economy.
Attention now turns to three things: the fate of the four people still buried in the rubble, the decision on whether the two dangerously damaged neighbouring buildings will be demolished, and the findings of the fire service’s investigation into what caused the blast. With the rescue window narrowing, the next hours will be decisive.
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