Athens Gas Blast Kills 6, Including 4 US Tourists, as Prior Leak Warnings Surface
Updated
Updated · Al Jazeera English · Sep 26
Athens Gas Blast Kills 6, Including 4 US Tourists, as Prior Leak Warnings Surface
3 articles · Updated · Al Jazeera English · Sep 26
Summary
Six bodies were recovered from the collapsed two-storey building in Athens' Plaka district, with documents indicating four victims were US citizens and the other two an elderly British-Greek couple.
A major gas leak is believed to have triggered Friday's blast, Mayor Haris Doukas said, after the explosion damaged neighboring buildings, forced evacuations and injured two women next door.
Residents had warned municipal and utility authorities about gas-leak and short-circuit risks a year earlier, and a nearby resident had reported smelling gas for weeks, according to local media and police.
Two adjoining buildings may need demolition, underscoring the wider impact in Plaka, the historic tourist area below the Acropolis.