British Pensioner Among Four Unaccounted For After Athens Building Explosion

Fears are mounting for a 77-year-old British man who was last seen on the balcony of an Athens building that was destroyed by an explosion on Friday. The blast, believed to be caused by a gas leak, leveled the two-story structure in the historic Plaka district, near iconic sites like the Acropolis and the Temple of Zeus. The British man and his 78-year-old wife, who lived on the second floor, are among four people who remain unaccounted for.

Rescuers discovered the body of a woman on Saturday morning in the building's ground-floor apartment. She was part of a group of four American tourists who had rented the apartment. A second body was recovered hours later from the same location. Travel documents found at the scene identified one of the missing tourists as a 40-year-old man named Florin, and the booking was made under the name Mr. Ian, a 37-year-old man. All four tourists had booked return flights to the U.S. that they did not take.

Fire officials suspect a gas leak in the second-floor supply line triggered the explosion at approximately 7:35 a.m. on Friday. A fire followed, consuming the building. A full investigation will commence once the search for survivors is concluded.

Firefighters and members of the Hellenic Fire Service's Special Disaster Response Unit (EMAK) are working at the scene, utilizing search dogs to locate any signs of life beneath the debris. A large excavator is being used to carefully remove rubble, as Athens Mayor Haris Doukas noted that the surrounding buildings and ground are unstable. Crews are lifting debris piece by piece to prevent further collapse.

Shortly after the initial explosion, firefighters rescued two female tourists from an adjacent building on the same street. They were transported to a local hospital.