One of the four tourists pulled from the rubble on Saturday (09/26) was pregnant, following the powerful explosion on Lysikratous Street in Plaka that occurred Friday morning. The toll from the search operation at ground zero is devastating — all six people from the first and second floors who had been missing were found dead. The victims include two young tourist couples: Florida Hoxha and her husband Ian Alexander Kirkpatrick — who were on their honeymoon in Greece — Florida’s brother Florin Hoxha and his wife Eris Çani, as well as the elderly couple who lived permanently in the building, Edmund Hings and Athena Paparescu.
Read more: Plaka: Minister Tournas arrives at scene as EMAK and DAEE rescue teams remain on site
Plaka tragedy: One American tourist was pregnant — Florida and Ian were on their honeymoon
Florida and Florin Hoxha were siblings of Albanian descent holding American citizenship. Traveling with them were Florida’s husband, Ian Alexander Kirkpatrick, and Florin’s wife, Eris Çani, also of Albanian origin.
New information released by national broadcaster ERT reveals that Eris Çani was three to four months pregnant — a detail expected to be confirmed by autopsy. As for Florida Hoxha and Ian Alexander Kirkpatrick, the newlyweds had traveled to Greece specifically for their honeymoon, their journey ending in unimaginable tragedy.
The other two victims of the Plaka tragedy
The other two victims were Athena Paparescu and Edmund Hings, the owners of the building. Authorities continue to search the devastated structure on Lysikratous Street, while the official identification process for all victims is currently underway.
Plaka: Who was Florida Hoxha, victim of the deadly explosion
According to reporting by parapolitika.gr journalist Anna Emmei, Florida Hoxha had built her life and career in the United States. She was an attorney in New York and, according to her professional profile, worked as a Senior Staff Attorney at the New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG).
She had more than six years of legal experience, with her practice focused on public interest cases and providing legal support to vulnerable communities. She studied law at the City University of New York School of Law and, prior to her current role, had worked across a range of legal and public service organizations in New York.
Florida and Florin Hoxha had arrived in Athens together with their spouses for a few days of vacation. The two siblings and their partners ultimately found themselves at the center of the Plaka tragedy, when the powerful explosion caused the collapse of the building where they were staying.
Timeline of the tragedy
The tragedy unfolded in the early hours of Friday (09/25), when a powerful explosion caused the collapse of a neoclassical building in Plaka where the victims were staying. The rescue operation carried out by Greece’s Special Disaster Response Unit (EMAK) was described as extremely difficult, with crews working through the night in the rubble. Sadly, the operation ended in tragedy — after hours of searching, the body of a woman was recovered in the early hours of Saturday morning, followed shortly after by that of a man. Two more bodies were then located, and the grim operation concluded when the final two victims were pulled from the wreckage.
