ATHENS, Greece — September 26, 2026: Two people have died and four others remain missing after an explosion destroyed a two-storey residential building in Athens’ historic Plaka district near the Acropolis, Greek fire brigade officials said Saturday. Rescue crews are continuing to search the rubble for survivors.
Key Points
- Two people have died and four remain missing, according to the latest Reuters report.
- The blast destroyed a two-storey building in Plaka, near the Acropolis.
- Three people were injured, while surrounding buildings, vehicles and businesses were damaged.
- Rescue teams are searching for an elderly couple and four tourists reported missing from the building.
- A gas-related explosion is being investigated, but authorities have not confirmed the cause.
The explosion struck the tourist-heavy neighborhood on Friday morning, damaging nearby houses, shops and cars and sending debris and broken glass across the surrounding streets. Three people were injured in the blast, according to Reuters.
Firefighters using heavy rescue equipment and search dogs recovered the bodies of a man and a young woman from the wreckage on Saturday. Four people are still unaccounted for: an elderly couple who lived in one apartment and two American couples who were staying in another, according to information cited by Reuters from Greek authorities and police.
The casualty figures have changed as rescuers gained access to the collapsed structure. Earlier reports had put the number of missing people at five or six, underscoring the difficulty of establishing who was inside the building after the blast. Greek outlet Kathimerini also reported that rescuers had been searching for an elderly couple and tourists staying in a short-term rental.
Authorities have not established the official cause of the explosion. A gas-related blast is among the possibilities being examined. Athens Mayor Haris Doukas said Friday that the incident was likely linked to gas infrastructure, but investigators have not confirmed that as the cause.
The location has added urgency to the operation. Plaka sits beneath the Acropolis and is one of Athens’ busiest historic and tourist areas, with hotels and short-term rental properties nearby. Adjacent buildings were evacuated because of concerns about structural stability while emergency teams worked through the debris.
