Major disruption has hit central Athens following the partial collapse of an abandoned building on Kolokotroni Street, which occurred on Thursday evening (12/11). Traffic restrictions were immediately put in place, and Kolokotroni Street will remain closed at least until Friday morning (13/11), as authorities express serious concerns about the building’s total collapse.
“The collapse appears to be internal,” says Athens deputy mayor for technical services
Panagiotis-Paris Charlaftis, the Athens Municipality’s deputy mayor for technical services, visited the scene and provided details about the incident.
“A short while ago, we received a notification that part of the building had collapsed. From what we can see, the collapse appears to be internal. However, police and the fire brigade have temporarily closed the road as a safety precaution, because a private engineer connected to the property raised concerns about a potential collapse. Under normal circumstances, committees would need to be convened to assess the level of danger — but in any case, since this appears to be a listed heritage building, I understand there is a serious issue here,” Mr. Charlaftis stated.
According to the deputy mayor, safety and structural concerns regarding the building are longstanding: “Issues of safety and danger must have been raised some time ago, as protective measures have already been taken — as you can see from the scaffolding, the sheeting, the tarpaulins, and the partial closure of the pavement.”
An urban planning inspection team is expected to arrive at the scene on Friday morning.
