A tragic development has emerged from the overnight search operation for missing persons following the powerful explosion that caused a building to collapse on Lysikratous Street, in Plaka, Athens — a woman has been found dead in the rubble of the first floor.
According to information available so far, the victim is believed to be one of four American tourists reportedly staying in a short-term rental apartment on the first floor. Two young couples, both aged approximately 30 to 40, had been renting the unit and were in Athens on holiday.
Following the discovery of the body, rescue efforts are now focused on the five people still unaccounted for: the three remaining American tourists from the first floor, and an elderly couple who resided on the second floor.
Rescue teams are battling extremely difficult conditions on the ground, as the explosion caused widespread structural collapse and left behind massive volumes of debris.
Images and video from the search operation in Plaka following the explosion
Plaka explosion: Three Americans and an elderly couple still missing
The four American tourists had rented the first-floor apartment through a short-term rental platform. According to reports, the booking was made in the name of a 37-year-old man.
During the search of the rubble, personal belongings and documents believed to belong to the apartment’s occupants have been recovered. Among the items found are American passports, as well as a woman’s handbag containing paperwork related to the rental of the property.
The four tourists had reportedly been scheduled to depart Greece on the afternoon of Friday, September 25, on a flight back to the United States — a flight they never boarded.
Meanwhile, the fate of the elderly couple who lived on the second floor remains unknown. Authorities have attempted to reach them by phone, without success.
Rescuers halt all machinery to “listen” to the rubble
The rescue operation is in full swing, with firefighters proceeding with extreme caution as they clear the debris, keeping alive the possibility of finding survivors trapped beneath the wreckage.
Thirty firefighters are deployed at the scene with six vehicles, two specialized rescue units from the 1st EMAK (Special Disaster Response Unit), and three trained search-and-rescue dogs.
Geophones — devices capable of detecting sounds from within rubble — are being used in the effort to locate the missing, alongside specialized cameras that allow rescuers to inspect areas that are not directly accessible.
A defining feature of this operation is the periodic halting of all activity to achieve complete silence, allowing both the specialized equipment and the rescuers themselves to detect even the faintest sound coming from beneath the collapsed structure.
Investigators probe the cause of the explosion
Running parallel to the search and rescue operation, authorities are continuing to investigate the cause of the powerful blast, which occurred shortly after 7:30 a.m. on Friday.
A team from the Arson Crimes Investigation Division remains on Lysikratous Street collecting evidence. Among the scenarios under examination is the possibility of a gas leak, though the exact cause has yet to be determined.
The force of the explosion was such that a large portion of the building collapsed entirely, while the blast wave caused damage to neighboring properties and parked vehicles in the surrounding area.
Two women rescued from an adjacent building
In the early hours of the operation, firefighters successfully rescued two women from a neighboring building. Both were taken by ambulances and transported to G. Gennimatas General Hospital, while a third person sustained minor injuries from debris.
Police and ambulance units remain on site as the search for the five missing persons continues.
The operation is expected to be prolonged and meticulous, with every piece of rubble being removed gradually and systematically — the overriding priority being to check every possible location where survivors might still be found.
