An early-morning blast in one of Athens' busiest tourist zones has left six people dead and investigators searching for answers. Greek rescue crews on Saturday pulled the bodies of three men and three women from the rubble of a two-story building that collapsed after an explosion a day earlier in the Plaka neighborhood, a warren of narrow streets packed with hotels, rentals, cafes, and souvenir shops at the foot of the Acropolis, reports the New York Times. Authorities haven't released the names of the victims, some of whom are believed to have been visiting from abroad. Initial reports indicated that Americans were among the dead.
"We are talking about an incredible disaster," Athens Mayor Haris Doukas said, per the BBC. The cause of the blast, which shattered nearby windows and crushed parked cars with flying debris, remains under investigation, though officials say a gas leak is a possible culprit, with residents who reported smelling gas before the explosion, per the Times. Police said four tourists staying on the building's first floor had checked in for flights back to the US but never boarded; Greek media identified them as four Americans, though police haven't confirmed their nationality.
A British man and his Greek wife were also unaccounted for before the bodies were found. Thirty firefighters, search dogs, thermal cameras, and special devices to detect underground sounds and movement were deployed overnight. At least three people in neighboring areas were injured but not seriously. The pastor of a nearby church tells the AP that weekend services will need to be held outdoors due to damage to the building from the blast. "It was heartbreaking," says Giotis Kantartzis of the First Greek Evangelical Church. "From the bottom to the top, there is no window that has not been broken."
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