Explosion collapses two-storey building in Athens district of Plaka, leaving three injured

Morning blast in Plaka

Around 07:30 on Friday, 25 September 2026, an explosion destroyed an old two-storey residential building in the Plaka neighbourhood of Athens, reducing the structure to rubble. The force of the blast generated a severe shockwave that shook properties across a 50-metre radius, knocking over picture frames and coffee cups in nearby homes and opening a structural crack at the corner of one residential apartment. Heavy smoke rose above the rooftops as workers and residents rushed to upper terraces to determine the source of the noise. Multiple neighbours reported detecting the smell of gas shortly before the detonation occurred. Greek police units quickly cordoned off the narrow alleys and evacuated nearby buildings, advising evacuees that the explosion appeared to involve liquefied petroleum gas and warning of potential secondary shockwaves.

Eyewitness accounts and evacuations

Workers inside adjacent properties experienced the blast at close range during early morning maintenance duties. A cleaning worker in a neighbouring building saw the structure collapse directly in front of her as the detonation shattered window panes throughout surrounding tenant apartments. The deafening noise caused severe ear ringing, preventing workers from hearing colleagues calling out to them inside the dust-filled rooms. An elderly resident standing near a window managed to step away moments before the glass gave way under the pressure wave. Police officers and private security personnel moved swiftly through the adjacent buildings to ensure all remaining staff, including cleaning crews and guards, were evacuated into the cordoned streets.

Trapped occupants and hospitalizations

Emergency responders faced constrained access in the dense neighbourhood as rubble blocked standard entry points. Firefighters deployed improvised tools to extract two women trapped inside a neighbouring property that suffered damage in the blast. Paramedics from the National Emergency Aid Centre (EKAB) received both rescued women and transported them by ambulance to the Georgios Gennimatas Hospital. Medical personnel confirmed that both patients were out of danger, with one woman receiving treatment for a laceration to the head. Flying debris also caused light injuries to a passerby on the street, bringing the total number of injured people to three.

Search operations and facade collapse

Following the initial rescue, the Greek Fire Service initiated a specialized search and rescue operation while working to extinguish a small blaze that broke out in the wreckage. Two dedicated squads from the 1st Disaster Response Special Unit (1st EMAK) entered the unstable ruins equipped with specialized search cameras to probe the rubble for potential victims. Deputy Fire Service press representative Giannis Artopios explained that the residential status of the collapsed residence required a complete search of the perimeter.

We are concerned by the fact that, according to reports, the building was inhabited.

Artopios characterized the mission as a delicate intervention designed to clarify whether anyone remained trapped beneath the structural debris.

For us the incident is still open.

During the search efforts, a live television broadcast by state network ERT captured a secondary collapse of a section of the damaged building's facade. Masonry plunged directly into the safety zone previously established by emergency forces, resulting in no injuries to operational personnel. Firefighters maintained the cordon and continued scanning the debris field to ensure all potential occupants were accounted for.