A British family of four is among at least six people reported missing after a suspected gas explosion destroyed a building in Athens.
Local reports said a British man, his wife, their son and their son’s partner had been staying in an apartment believed to have been rented through Airbnb.
It remains unclear whether the family was inside the property when the blast occurred.
An elderly couple who lived on the second floor of the building are also unaccounted for.
The incident began with a powerful explosion that ripped through the building in one of Athens’ historic districts before the structure collapsed.
The blast struck at approximately 7.30am in Plaka, an area located close to Athens’ Acropolis and the Temple of Zeus.
Officials initially said five people were missing. Local media also reported that three Americans may have been among those unaccounted for, although this has not been confirmed.
Several people were injured in the explosion on Lysikratous Street. Local reports said two women from a neighbouring building were taken to Georgios Gennimatas Hospital.
The remains of the Athens building after it was destroyed in a huge explosion suspected to have been caused by a gas leak
Fire crews respond to the emergency amid the debris left scattered across the ground
Tourists are escorted away from the cordoned-off area as police, ambulance and fire crews attend the scene
A passerby also said they suffered shrapnel wounds in the blast.
The fire service said rescuers were searching for two elderly residents who lived on the top floor, along with three tourists believed to have rented the apartment below.
The ground floor is thought to have been unoccupied. The first-floor apartment where the British family was staying is believed to have been an Airbnb, while the missing elderly couple lived on the second floor.
A fire service spokesman said: “A search-and-rescue operation with a dog is under way to find anyone who may be trapped.
“We have learned that an elderly couple and three other people staying in a holiday rental were living in the building, and we are trying to determine whether they were there at the time of the explosion.”
Fire crews remained at the site, sifting through the wreckage in search of the missing people, according to reports.
Thermal imaging cameras and a trained search dog were being used to support the rescue operation.
Drones were also reportedly deployed to help locate anyone still missing.
Police help an elderly woman move away from the wreckage
An aerial photo shows the extent of the damage on Lysikratous Street in the district of Plaka, which sits just round the corner from the Acropolis and Temple of Zeus
A cordon has been set up on both sides of the street as crowds of people gather to watch the emergency response
The mayor of Athens, Haris Doukas, told Protothema: ‘There are missing persons, it is a very complex situation, the investigation is in full swing.’
When asked if there were people trapped beneath the rubble, Mr Doukas said ‘there is great fear, there are competent senior Fire Department officials who will answer you’.
He added: ‘There are missing persons and it is a very complex situation, that is why dogs are inside at the moment and are investigating.’
Mr Doukas said: ‘The explosion was of great force, the destruction was extreme.’
The explosion, attributed at this stage to a gas leak, destroyed the two-floor building and also damaged neighbouring homes.
When asked about whether the explosion was caused by a gas leak, Mr Doukas told reporters: ‘I understand that it was caused by gas and its intensity was terrifying.’
He added that there has been a ‘very large degree of damage’.
The explosion broke windows in surrounding buildings and damaged cars parked nearby.
After several hours on Friday, no sign of the missing persons had been found in the debris.
Two women in a neighbouring building were hospitalised with minor injuries, state TV ERT said.
A third person who was passing by was also lightly injured, the station said.
The owner of the building’s ground floor first found out about the incident via the news.
Matthew Artavanis said he could see it was his building from the photos he saw of the explosion.
He immediately called his neighbour at around 8am for more information – but the elderly couple didn’t answer.
‘There’s no sign of them, from the photos I saw,’ Mr Artavanis said.
He added that the husband of the couple had mobility issues.