Athens, six dead in the collapse of a building after an explosion

All six people who were reported missing in the collapse of a building which occurred yesterday in the center of Athens have died. Four American citizens were staying in a short-term rental apartment on the first floor. An elderly couple also lived in the same building, a British man and his wife. Khatimerini reports it. A team from the Arson Crime Division is still on site to investigate the causes of the accident. The origin of the explosion has not yet been ascertained, but firefighters and police consider a gas leak to be the most probable hypothesis.

The small two-storey building collapsed yesterday morning around 07.30. The mayor of Athens, Haris Doukas, speculated that there may have been an "explosion caused by a very serious leak" which then led to the catastrophe. Thirty firefighters worked at the scene with six vehicles, including two specialized in rescue operations, as well as three search and rescue dogs, according to the Greek news agency Ana. Bulldozers cleared away the rubble and rescuers deployed thermal cameras on site.