According to a report by Reuters on October 30th, Greece has reported that two Greek men and one Albanian citizen have been arrested. The three individuals are suspected of stealing copper gas pipes from a building, causing a gas leak that led to a fatal explosion in the center of Athens last month.
It is understood that an explosion occurred in the Plaka tourist area in the center of Athens on September 25, resulting in six deaths. Four of the victims were American citizens, consisting of two couples who were renting rooms on the first floor of the building at the time.
The explosion also injured three people, including two individuals inside nearby buildings and one passerby. Search and rescue personnel later rescued two women from a neighboring building and transported them to the hospital.
The explosion was extremely powerful, and the shockwave damaged several nearby buildings, shops, and parked vehicles. Glass shards and debris were scattered up to about three blocks away. Due to safety concerns in neighboring buildings, some residents were evacuated.
Fire department officials stated on the evening of the 29th that, after investigation, experts from the fire department’s criminal investigation unit concluded that several hours before the explosion, the suspect damaged the main natural gas supply facilities of the two-story building while dismantling copper pipe components. The explosion occurred in the early morning, and one of the elderly couple living on the second floor turned on the light switch.
The suspect is expected to appear in court on Friday to be questioned by the prosecutor.
