One dead, 5 missing after explosion destroys building in Athens

ATHENS, Sept 26 (Reuters) - ‌A woman ​has ​died and five people 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 and damaging houses, shops and cars.

Emergency crews 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 body of ​a young woman early on ‌Saturday as they removed rubble from the building which was reduced to a ⁠mess of twisted metal, broken balconies and hanging concrete slabs, the fire brigade official said.

The tourists - whose nationalities ⁠are not confirmed - were expected to check out to catch ​a flight from Athens airport at 3 p.m. on Friday but they didn't show up, a police official 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."

(Reporting by Angeliki Koutantou; Editing by Kirsten ‌Donovan)

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