Three copper thieves, who have already been identified, caused the deadly explosion in Plaka a month ago, resulting in the deaths of six people. Investigators found video footage showing the three thieves a few hours before the explosion entering the three-story building and running out within a few minutes carrying a piece of copper pipe. The Polytechnic’s laboratories pinpointed the exact location of the leak.
According to information from protothema.gr, officials from the Fire Department’s Arson Crimes Division concluded that the explosion was caused by the theft and tampering of equipment carried out by three men in the early hours of the same day. Specifically, as sources familiar with the case reported, the evidence gathered indicated that a few hours before the explosion, three men— one Albanian and two Greeks, approached the apartment building with the intent to commit theft.
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Two of them broke into the building, entered the “blind” (i.e., windowless) stairwell where the meter was located, and attempted to cut the pipes. In the process, they cut one of the natural gas supply pipes, causing a leak.
The natural gas filled the space, accumulated on the second floor where the elderly couple lived, and when the woman eventually got up and, presumably, flipped a switch, the explosion occurred. Authorities have identified the three perpetrators, and their location and arrest are expected within hours.
A school narrowly escaped destruction by a matter of seconds
As seen in a documentary photograph obtained and published by protothema.gr, the flames from the explosion are visible both on the upper floors and on the ground floor, because the entire area was filled with natural gas. What is shocking is that the black van visible in the photo is a school bus that, miraculously, passed by just moments before the building was blown up.
