Four American tourists among 6 killed in suspected gas leak blast in Athens

Two women reportedly injured in blast in Athens’ historic Plaka district, buildings evacuated.

A general view of the area where a powerful blast collapsed a two-storey building and killed six people in Athens' Plaka district on September 26, 2026 [Yorgos Karahalis/AP]

Rescue teams have recovered the bodies of six people killed in a building collapse following a a blast in the historic centre of Athens, Greece, according to local authorities.

Documents and belongings found with four of the victims – two men and two women – on Saturday indicated they were United States citizens, Greek state broadcaster ERT and other local media reported.

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The other two victims were reportedly an elderly couple, a British man and a Greek woman, who lived on the building’s second floor.

Two women were injured in an adjacent building, according to the fire department.

The blast that brought down the small, two-storey building in the popular tourist district of Plaka on Friday was believed to have been caused by a major gas leak, Athens Mayor Haris Doukas said. Neighbouring buildings were damaged and evacuated, he said.

“The damage extends to the entire street as well as the street behind [the building],” Doukas said. “We are talking about an unimaginable catastrophe.”

Two adjoining buildings severely damaged might have to be demolished, he said.

The Greek daily newspaper Kathimerini reported on Friday that the four tourists, who were due to leave their accommodation at about 11:00am (08:00 GMT), failed to board their flight back to the US.

Rescuers work at the scene on September 26, 2026, one day after a powerful blast hit Athens’ Plaka district [Yorgos Karahalis/AP]

Plaka residents issued warning

A group of Plaka residents had alerted the municipality and the managers of the electricity and gas networks about the risks of short circuits or gas leaks in the area a year ago.

In a letter published by Kathimerini, the group called for the organisation of a security exercise to identify any potential shortcomings in the emergency response system.

The citizen movement “We Remain Active” also stated on social media that a resident of the street where the explosion occurred had reported a smell of gas for several weeks and had warned the authorities.

A Greek police spokeswoman confirmed on ERT that residents had made the report. However, the nature of the substance and its origin have not yet been determined.

Plaka lies at the foot of the Acropolis, Greece’s most visited ancient monument.

据报道，雅典历史悠久的普拉卡区发生爆炸，两名女性受伤，建筑物内人员已被疏散。

2026年9月26日，雅典普拉卡区发生强烈爆炸，一栋两层楼房倒塌，造成6人死亡。图为爆炸现场全景。[Yorgos Karahalis/AP]

据当地政府消息，救援队已在希腊雅典历史中心爆炸后倒塌的建筑物中找到了六名遇难者的遗体。

据希腊国家广播公司ERT和其他地方媒体报道，周六在四名受害者（两男两女）身上发现的文件和物品表明他们是美国公民。

列表 1/3：《坦佩57号列车：希腊最严重的火车事故后，一位父亲为正义而战》

列表 2/3：尽管经济增长和工资上涨，希腊工人仍然是欧洲最贫困的工人之一。

（共3条） 紧急救援人员在雅典建筑物倒塌后搜寻废墟 （共3条）

据报道，另外两名遇难者是一对老年夫妇，一名英国男子和一名希腊女子，他们住在该建筑的二楼。

据消防部门称，隔壁建筑物内有两名女性受伤。

雅典市长哈里斯·杜卡斯表示，周五发生在普拉卡热门旅游区、导致一栋两层小楼倒塌的爆炸，据信是由严重的天然气泄漏引起的。他还说，附近的建筑物也遭到损坏，居民已被疏散。

杜卡斯说：“受损范围不仅波及整条街道，还包括建筑物后面的街道。这是一场难以想象的灾难。”

他说，两栋相邻的、受损严重的建筑物可能不得不拆除。

希腊日报《Kathimerini》周五报道称，这四名游客原定于上午 11 点（格林尼治标准时间 8 点）左右离开住处，但未能登上返回美国的航班。

2026年9月26日，救援人员在雅典普拉卡区发生强烈爆炸的第二天，在现场展开救援工作。[Yorgos Karahalis/AP]

普拉卡居民收到警告

一年前，普拉卡的一群居民就曾向市政当局和电力、燃气网络管理人员发出警报，指出该地区存在短路或燃气泄漏的风险。

该组织在《每日新闻报》发表的一封信中呼吁组织一次安全演习，以找出应急响应系统中任何潜在的缺陷。

公民运动组织“我们保持活跃”也在社交媒体上表示，爆炸发生街道的一位居民报告说，几周以来一直闻到煤气味，并已向当局发出警告。

希腊警方发言人向ERT电视台证实，确实有居民报案。然而，该物质的性质和来源尚未确定。

普拉卡位于希腊最热门的古代遗址——雅典卫城的脚下。