Plaka Explosion

Athens firefighters pulled two women from a collapsed building near the Acropolis Friday morning after a powerful explosion leveled a two-storey structure on Lysikratous Street in the Plaka district. The blast hit around 7:35am, according to Greek City Times and ProtoThema. One of the women is Italian, Greek City Times reported, citing initial reports. A passer-by was hurt too. The Independent put the total injured at three.

Investigators have not confirmed a cause. Greek City Times reported that initial suspicion fell on a natural gas installation.

Eight parked cars were damaged. Windows shattered as far as three blocks away, The Independent reported, and the blast echoed across much of central Athens, according to Greek City Times.

One driver was thrown into the air by the force of the explosion. "I didn't understand anything about what was happening to me ... The car rose into the air and then it sat down again," he told the Orange Press Agency, according to The Independent.

An elderly couple who lived on the building's second floor remain unaccounted for, ProtoThema reported. Relatives and police have called their phone repeatedly. It's switched off. Friday afternoon, the pair were still missing, The Independent reported, citing local media.

The ground floor sat empty. Three guests were registered in an Airbnb on the first floor, ProtoThema reported. Co-owner Andreas Martzakis told the outlet the rental had no natural gas hookup, no propane cylinders, no bottled gas. "I live 50 metres away, right here," he said. "I was having a coffee and as soon as I heard it I went straight outside." He pulled a friend, identified only as Abdul, from a car damaged in the blast. Glass cut Abdul, ProtoThema reported.

"It was like the whole building, the whole block blew off. That's how strong it was," Martzakis told The Independent.

Residents and workers nearby smelled gas before the blast, The Independent and ProtoThema reported. Fire investigators are now checking the site for a leak.

Guests at a nearby hotel fled their breakfast tables for the reception desk when windows shattered around 7:34am, ProtoThema reported. The owner said tourists feared a second blast.

Dogs are combing the rubble. EMAK, the fire brigade's disaster response unit, deployed them, ProtoThema reported, and police have cordoned off the area.

A nearby church took damage too. Sunday's service will be held outdoors, its pastor said.

"It was heartbreaking. From the bottom to the top, there is no window that has not been broken," said Giotis Kantartzis, pastor of the First Greek Evangelical Church, according to India Today.