A two-storey building in Athens' Plaka district was destroyed by an explosion on Friday morning, suspected to have been caused by a gas leak in the second-floor supply line. The blast occurred near major tourist attractions including the Acropolis, and rescue efforts are ongoing with particular concern for a British pensioner couple living on the second floor who remain unaccounted for. At least two bodies have been recovered from the wreckage.

The explosion occurred at approximately 7:35 a.m. on Lysikratous Street, with a fire subsequently gutting the structure. The missing British residents are a 77-year-old man and his 78-year-old wife (born in Athens of Albanian origin), last seen on their balcony shortly before the blast. Two American couples in their 30s and 40s renting the ground-floor flat as a short-term rental are also unaccounted for; two bodies have been recovered from that apartment. Approximately 30 firefighters and six vehicles, including specialist disaster-response units and three search dogs, remain at the scene, with rescue efforts complicated by structural instability in adjacent buildings.