Part of a protected building collapses on Kolokotroni street in central Athens

What happened

On Thursday afternoon, 12 November 2026, part of a protected building under renovation at number 32 Kolokotroni street in central Athens collapsed. Reports differ on which part gave way: one describes a wall that fell toward an internal open courtyard, while another describes a section of the roof and an internal wall. The building was described as uninhabited, and no injuries were reported. Police and fire service units were sent to the site.

Traffic measures and inspection

Police imposed traffic restrictions on Kolokotroni street from its junction with Voreou and Athinas streets. The road will remain closed at least until Friday morning, 13 November. A team from the urban planning authority is expected on site that morning to inspect the building and assess its structural stability. Its findings will determine whether the traffic measures are lifted or extended.

Municipal officials' account

Panagiotis-Paris Charlaftis, the deputy mayor for technical services of Athens, visited the site and gave details of the incident. He said the collapse appears to be internal. He added that the closure followed a warning from a private engineer linked to the property, who raised concerns about collapse risk.

“Apparently the collapse is internal.”

Charlaftis also said safety and hazard concerns about the building had been raised before, and that scaffolding, a skip, sackcloth and a partial closure of the pavement were already in place. He said committees would normally be convened to judge the danger.

“Normally, committees should be convened to determine whether the building is dangerous or not.”

Warnings of wider risk

NewsIT reported that no pieces of the building had come loose and no debris had reached the roadway. The same report said engineers of the Athens municipality estimated that the entire building could give way. Further precautionary measures were expected to protect pedestrians and drivers. As of the latest reports, no injuries had been confirmed and the causes of the partial collapse remained unknown.