Four Americans were among six people killed when an explosion destroyed a residential building in Athens' Plaka district, near the Acropolis, Greek authorities said on Saturday.
The blast struck early Friday in one of the Greek capital's busiest tourist areas, damaging nearby homes, shops and vehicles and reducing the building to rubble. Firefighters spent hours searching the wreckage with sniffer dogs, cameras and heavy machinery before recovering the bodies.
Authorities said the other two victims were an elderly British man and his Greek wife who lived in the building. The four Americans had been staying in another apartment and were due to leave for Athens airport later on Friday. Greek officials had not released their names or home states.
Athens Mayor Haris Doukas said neighbouring buildings were being inspected for structural safety. Investigators are examining the cause, with a possible gas leak among the main lines of inquiry after reports of a gas smell in the area before the explosion.
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