Five people including three tourists are missing on Friday after an explosion in a building in Athens’ historic Plaka district, the Greek fire service said.
The early morning blast on a small street in the vicinity of the Acropolis shook the area, which is normally busy with hundreds of foreign visitors.
A building in central Athens collapsed on Friday after an explosion, Greek emergency crew said with local media reporting one person injured.
Media speculated that the probable cause was a gas leak causing a blast loud enough to be heard across the Greek capital but an investigation into the cause is ongoing.
The fire brigade said it had rescued two women from the building in Plaka, one of Athens’ oldest neighbourhoods which attracts millions of tourists every year.
Both women have been transferred to hospital.
There was widespread confusion at the scene, while strong police forces rushed to the area and cordoned off the street in order to ensure the safety of residents and passers-by.
Buildings near the site of the explosion on Lysikratous Street also suffered damage, according to information from the Fire Service.
Firefighters were working to extinguish a blaze that broke out and are inspecting the destroyed building and assessing the condition of surrounding structures to determine whether there is a risk of further collapses.
This is a developing story and our journalists are working on further updates.