A major incident sent shockwaves through the Petralona neighborhood of Athens on Tuesday afternoon (June 30) when a four-story building suddenly collapsed at 22 Alkminis Street. An eyewitness to the serious incident described the chaotic scenes that unfolded in the immediate aftermath of the building collapse. The witness appeared to attribute the collapse to construction work being carried out on an adjacent building. “They probably undermined the foundations of the neighboring building, and the whole thing came crashing down,” he stated.
Building collapse in Petralona: “You couldn’t see a thing through the dust”
“There was a deafening noise,” said a witness to the incident, adding that dust and debris filled the entire area. “You couldn’t see a thing through the dust,” he said vividly. “All I know is that there was construction work going on next door. They were digging a basement, and they probably undermined the foundations of the neighboring building — and the whole thing came crashing down,” said the eyewitness to the Petralona building collapse.
According to information available so far, the building that collapsed was four stories tall, and the incident occurred while construction work was being carried out on an adjacent building.
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All four missing residents found safe
According to the latest information, all four residents of the building who had been unaccounted for following the collapse on the afternoon of Tuesday, June 30, at 22 Alkminis Street in Petralona have been found safe. However, it remains unclear whether any construction workers were on site at the time of the collapse and how many. According to the latest reports, none of the residents sustained any injuries. Immediately following news of the collapse, fire service units and the 1st EMAK Urban Search and Rescue team rushed to the scene with 8 vehicles, 30 personnel, and two specially trained search and rescue dogs to conduct search operations. Neighboring EMAK units were also placed on heightened standby to provide additional support if needed. The Chief of the Fire Service was also present at the scene to coordinate operations, and an order was issued to establish a new 50-meter safety perimeter around the site due to the risk posed by potentially flammable materials.
Fire service personnel had been searching for four individuals — three men and one woman. All four were located following telephone contact. Nevertheless, the search and rescue operation remains ongoing.
