The search and rescue operation at the site of the building that collapsed following yesterday’s explosion on Lysikratous Street in Plaka came to an end in the most tragic way, as firefighters and EMAK crews recovered the bodies of all six people who had been reported missing.
According to reports, those killed in the tragedy that unfolded in the heart of Athens are Florinda Hoxha and her husband Ian Alexander Kirkpatrick, who had recently married, as well as Eris Tsani and her husband, Florin Hoxha.
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Four of the deceased had rented an apartment on the first floor of the building. Of these, three were of Albanian descent and held U.S. citizenship.
READ ALSO: Tragic conclusion in Plaka: The last two bodies were found; the death toll from the collapse rises to six
They were on their honeymoon in Greece
The case takes on an even more tragic dimension given that Florinda Hoja and her husband, Ian Alexander Kirkpatrick, according to a relative, were in Greece on their honeymoon.
“The building that collapsed in Plaka about 13 hours ago is believed to have housed my cousins, Ian and Florinda. They are in Greece on their honeymoon,” wrote a relative in a post on Reddit, seeking information, following reports that passports bearing their names had been found in the rubble.
Meanwhile, reports indicate that the other couple who were with them, Eris Tsani and Florin Hoja, were expecting a child.
The other two victims of the tragedy are the elderly couple who lived on the second floor of the building.
They are Athina Papareskou and Edmond Hings, 77, of British origin, according to information available so far.
READ ALSO: “The windows shattered, people were screaming”: Shocking eyewitness accounts of the explosion in Plaka
Meanwhile, investigations into the exact causes of the deadly explosion are ongoing, with the possibility of a gas leak being the focus of the authorities’ inquiries. However, experts are expected to examine all the evidence from the scene of the disaster to determine exactly what caused the tragic incident.
It should be noted that the explosion occurred shortly after 7:30 a.m. yesterday, Friday (September 25), causing extensive damage to nearby buildings and parked vehicles.
Source: Proto Thema
