Greek rescuers search collapsed Athens apartment block after four are found safe

Rescue crews searched the rubble of a collapsed apartment block at 22 Alkminis Street in Athens’ Petralona district after four people feared trapped were found safe. About 30 firefighters, eight fire engines, the 1st EMAK disaster-response unit and two specially trained search-and-rescue dogs were deployed, while police, EKAV, the public gas company and HEDNO helped secure the scene.

The building had seven apartments, and firefighters said the collapse happened during work on the adjacent site at 20 Alkminis Street. The structure came down gradually, allowing three people inside to escape in time. A fourth person who had first been listed as missing was later accounted for elsewhere.

Hospitals including G. Gennimatas, Sotiria and Tzanio were placed on standby as crews continued to check the debris and surrounding properties. The operation remained active because crews had not yet finished clearing the wreckage or ruling out further danger in the densely populated block.

The demolition permit for 20 Alkminis Street was first issued in November 2024, renewed in July 2025 after a change of ownership, and followed by preliminary approval in September 2025. A March 2026 building permit later authorized a new five-story residential building with a basement and attic to replace a two-story structure built in 1956 that measured 213 square meters.

Five people were taken into custody in connection with the collapse, including four laborers and the owner of the neighboring work site. Investigators are examining whether the damage stemmed from the apartment block itself, from the demolition work beside it, or from another structural failure in one of the oldest and most crowded parts of central Athens.