ATHENS, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Six bodies have been recovered from the rubble of a building in central Athens, where a powerful explosion caused part of the building to collapse on Friday, Greek state broadcaster ERT reported Saturday.
The blast occurred shortly after 7:30 a.m. local time at a two-story building on Lysicratous Street in Athens' historic Plaka district near the Acropolis.
The six bodies are believed to be those of four U.S. nationals staying in a first-floor short-term rental and an elderly Greek woman and her British husband who lived on the second floor, according to ERT.
The explosion also injured two women in a nearby building and a passerby. All three were rescued and taken to hospital.
The cause of the explosion remains under investigation. Authorities are examining a possible fault in the natural gas network in the building or a neighboring property, following reports that residents smelled gas before the blast. ■
