Athens Building Collapse Near Acropolis: Two Pulled Unconscious, Four Still Missing
Two people were recovered unconscious and four remain missing after a suspected gas blast collapsed a building in Athens' Plaka district near the Acropolis.
Rescue teams in Athens pulled two unconscious people from the rubble of a collapsed building in the historic Plaka district on Saturday, as they continued searching for four others still unaccounted for, authorities said.
The two-storey house, located in the tourist quarter at the foot of the Acropolis, came down after a blast on Friday morning that Athens Mayor Haris Doukas said was believed to have been caused by a major gas leak. Doukas, speaking on Friday night, added that nearby buildings had also sustained damage and were evacuated.
According to the fire department, one unconscious woman was carried away by ambulance earlier on Saturday. A second person was later found unconscious in the debris of the collapsed house. Two other women were injured in an adjacent building on Lysikratous Street, the fire service said.
The operation involved 30 firefighters and three dogs. An investigation into the cause of the explosion is under way.
Footage from the scene showed rubble scattered across the street and parked cars crushed by falling debris. A local resident, Andreas Martzaklis, said the people rescued by firefighters from the neighbouring building were all tourists.
The pastor of a nearby church said Sunday's service would be held outdoors because the church had been damaged.