At least 2 injured, 5 missing after explosion in Greece collapses building

At least two people are injured and five are missing after a building collapsed following a powerful explosion in the Greek capital’s tourist district of Plaka, near the ancient Acropolis on Friday morning.

The explosion caused a two-storey building to collapse and the two people injured were rescued from an adjacent building, authorities said, according to The Associated Press.

Rescue crews with a sniffer dog were searching the rubble for missing people, the fire department said.

The building collapsed, while neighbouring buildings were also damaged.

Residents said two people lived in one of the building’s apartments, and there were media reports that three tourists may have been staying in a short-term rental apartment also in the building, The Associated Press reports.

The fire department said it rescued two women and they have been transferred to a local hospital.

The explosion occurred in the Plaka district, the historic part of Athens that lies at the foot of the Acropolis hill, Greece’s most visited ancient monument.

Fire Service spokeswoman Efi Papavramopoulou told local outlet eKathimerini that neighbours provided authorities with information about an elderly couple living in the upper floor of the collapsed building and three tourists who may have been in a short-term rental located downstairs in the building that collapsed.

“We are doing everything we can,” Papavramopoulou said.

Authorities said the search and rescue operation was still ongoing several hours after the explosion.

The cause of the explosion was not immediately clear, but local media said a gas leak was suspected.

The gas network management company, Enaon EDA, told eKathimerini that it was investigating the cause of the explosion.

—With files from The Associated Press