An American family of four was hours from leaving for the airport. They had a flight home Friday afternoon. The building they were renting in central Athens exploded and collapsed first.
What happened
The explosion hit a residential building in Plaka, the old quarter directly below the Acropolis and one of the most visited parts of Athens. It happened Friday. Rescue crews recovered the last of the bodies on Saturday.
Six people were killed.
- Four Americans: a couple, their adult son, and the son’s girlfriend. They were renting a first-floor apartment.
- A 77-year-old British man and his 78-year-old Greek wife, who lived in the building.
Two women were pulled from an adjacent building with injuries. Firefighters also evacuated tourists from nearby structures.
The Americans have not been publicly identified.
What caused it
A gas explosion. The US State Department has confirmed that, and Athens Mayor Haris Doukas said a gas leak is believed to be the cause.
Witnesses reported smelling gas around the time of the blast. The Fire Service’s specialist investigation unit is examining the circumstances, and crews have been using thermal imaging while clearing debris.
Doukas called it an incredible disaster and said neighboring buildings are now at risk of demolition. Inspections of those buildings are underway.
The warnings that came first
According to a citizens’ group posting on social media, a resident of that same street contacted authorities after smelling what they believed was a gas leak. Neighbors have told reporters that people in the area had been smelling gas for weeks.
There is also a longer record. About a year ago, a group of Plaka residents formally warned the municipality and the electricity and gas network operators about the risk of electrical short circuits and gas leaks in the neighborhood. They asked for a fire drill to test whether the district’s emergency plans would actually work.
None of that has been confirmed by an official inquiry. All of it is now something the inquiry will have to address.
The US response
US Ambassador Kimberly Guilfoyle expressed sadness over the deaths and thanked Greek first responders. The embassy says it is providing consular assistance to the families.
For families in this situation, that assistance covers identification, paperwork, and repatriation of remains. It does not cover the cost, which falls to the family and can run into thousands of dollars unless travel insurance covers it.
The question
If residents warned about gas leaks in Plaka a year ago and someone reported a smell on that street, who was supposed to act? And what does a traveler do with the knowledge that the most dangerous thing about a trip may be the pipe under the building?
Related: a Norwegian visitor killed on a Kansas road and the questions that followed, and infrastructure that fails on a schedule everyone can predict.
Sources: CBS News · PBS NewsHour · Euronews · NBC News · UPI
