Four American tourists among six killed in Athens building blast

A residential building in Athens' Plaka district collapsed following an explosion, killing six people. According to Channel News Asia, the blast damaged nearby houses, shops, and cars, sending rubble and broken glass as far as three blocks away. The Greek fire brigade reported that the explosion was likely linked to gas infrastructure.

The victims included four American tourists, who were part of two couples, and an elderly couple. The tourists were expected to check out and depart from Athens airport on Friday but did not show up, a police source said. The cause of the blast is still under investigation, with the fire brigade's crime investigation unit on site.

The explosion occurred near some of Athens' most visited sites, including the Acropolis and the Temple of Zeus. The mayor of Athens, Haris Doukas, described the disaster as "incredible" and said that two nearby buildings were left in a dangerous state, with inspections underway to determine if they can remain standing.

Brief written by urgent.news from Punch, Channel News Asia, RTE News, Malay Mail, CBS News — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.