Ammon News - 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.

The Misinformation Monitor newsletter rounds up international misinformation narratives, with a "Real or Fake?" quiz in every edition. Sign up here.

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."


Reuters