Explosion fells building in heart of touristic Athens, three injured

ATHENS, Sept 25 (Reuters) - An ‌explosion caused ​a ​residential building to collapse in the crowded touristic centre of Athens on Friday, injuring three people and damaging ‌houses, shops and cars across a historic neighbourhood.

It ⁠was not immediately clear what caused the blast in the two-storey building ‌in Plaka near some of Athens' most ‌popular sites including the Acropolis and the Temple of Zeus, sending rocks and broken glass as far as ​three blocks away.

Police spokeswoman Constantina Dimoglidou told public broadcaster ERT that the fire brigade has not yet ⁠concluded its site inspection.

Fire crews and ambulances rushed to the scene as smoke ​billowed above the ancient monuments. The building where the blast took place was reduced to a ​mess of twisted metal, broken balconies ‌and hanging concrete slabs.

"It was like the whole building, the whole block blew off. That's ⁠how strong it was," said local resident Andreas Martzaklis.

Authorities said a passer-by was injured. Two women who had been trapped ⁠in an adjacent building were rescued and being treated in hospital.

The area is ​home to many hotels and short-term rentals and crowds of tourists stroll its narrow streets lined with cafes and souvenir shops.

A police ‌source said at least five people lodged at the building, part of which was rented ‌out to tourists. It was not immediately clear if ⁠others were trapped.

(Reporting by ‌Louisa Gouliamaki and Stamos ​Prousalis; Additional reporting by Renee Maltezou; Writing by Angeliki Koutantou; Editing by Jamie Freed and Edward ‌McAllister)

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