Two dead, 4 missing after explosion destroys building in Athens

Two people have died and another four are missing after a residential building collapsed following an explosion in a tourist area of central Athens, a Greek fire brigade official said on Saturday.

The blast on Friday destroyed a two-storey building in Plaka, near some of Athens' most visited sites including the Acropolis and the Temple of Zeus, injuring three people, damaging nearby houses, shops and cars and sending rubble and broken glass as far as three blocks away.

Emergency crews in heavy gear and red helmets assisted by rescue dogs were looking for an elderly couple who lived in one apartment and four tourists who were staying in another. They found the bodies of a man and a young woman on Saturday as they removed debris from the building which was reduced to a mess of twisted metal, shattered tiles and concrete slabs, the fire brigade official said.

Household items and clothing were strewn amid the debris.

"It (the rescue operation) is not easy as the biggest part of the building has collapsed and there is risk for adjacent buildings which have been evacuated for security reasons," police spokeswoman Constantina Dimoglidou told public broadcaster ERT on Saturday.

The tourists - two American couples - were expected to check out to catch a flight from Athens airport at 3 p.m. on Friday but didn't show up, a police source said.

It was not immediately clear what caused the blast in an area which is home to many hotels and short-term rentals. Athens mayor Haris Doukas said on Friday it was likely linked to gas infrastructure. "Something went terribly wrong."