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Greece arrests three over explosion that killed six people in Athens

Greece has arrested two Greek men and an Albanian national suspected of stealing copper gas pipes from a building, causing a leak that led to a deadly explosion in central Athens last month, authorities said.

Reuters
By Reuters
30 Oct
0
Firefighters and members of the Hellenic Fire Service's Special Disaster Response Unit (EMAK) search the rubble of a building following an explosion on Lysikratous Street in Athens, Greece, 26 September 2026. A woman was recovered from the rubble as search and rescue operations continue for people reported missing after the collapse. EPA/GEORGE VITSARASFirefighters and members of the Hellenic Fire Service's Special Disaster Response Unit (EMAK) search the rubble of a building following an explosion on Lysikratous Street in Athens, Greece, 26 September 2026. A woman was recovered from the rubble as search and rescue operations continue for people reported missing after the collapse. EPA/GEORGE VITSARAS


Six people were killed during the September 25 blast in the tourist district of Plaka, four Americans among them.

Following an investigation, experts with the fire brigade's crime ​investigation unit concluded that hours before the blast the suspects damaged the two-storey building's main natural gas supply infrastructure as they removed the copper pipe parts, fire brigade officials said late on Thursday.

The explosion occurred early in the morning when one of the residents turned the light on.

The suspects are expected to appear before a prosecutor on Friday.

(Reporting by Yannis Souliotis and Angeliki Koutantou; Writing by Renee Maltezou; Editing by Alison Williams)

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