Deadly European Accidents Strike Tourist Groups

A blast believed to have been caused by a major gas leak collapsed a two-storey building in Athens’s Plaka district on Friday, killing six people. Rescue teams recovered all six bodies, local authorities said. Greek media reported that documents and belongings indicated four victims—two men and two women—were American citizens. The other two victims were reportedly an elderly British man and Greek woman who lived on the building’s second floor. Two women in a neighbouring building were injured. Athens Mayor Haris Doukas said the explosion damaged buildings on the surrounding streets and forced nearby properties to be evacuated. Two adjoining buildings were so severely damaged that they might need to be demolished. The four American tourists were reportedly due to leave their accommodation at about 11:00am but did not board their flight to the United States. The article also raises concerns about prior warnings. A group of Plaka residents had alerted municipal officials and managers of the electricity and gas networks a year earlier to possible short circuits or gas leaks, and asked for a security exercise to identify weaknesses in emergency response. The citizen movement “We Remain Active” said a resident of the street where the blast occurred had reported smelling gas for several weeks and warned authorities. A Greek police spokeswoman confirmed that residents had made a report, but officials had not yet determined the substance involved or its source. Plaka is a popular tourist district at the foot of the Acropolis.

A bus carrying Filipino tourists from Milan to Munich’s Oktoberfest overturned on the A96 highway near Buchloe in southern Germany at 5:41 a.m. local time on Sunday. Two people died; police have identified one as a 58-year-old Filipino citizen. The bus carried 33 tourists and two Italian drivers. Neither driver was injured, and no other vehicles were involved. Many passengers were hurt: six were flown to nearby hospitals, including one person believed to be in life-threatening condition; two others were taken by ambulance, and another 22 were treated at the scene, with some later taken to hospital. The driver at the wheel is being investigated for negligent homicide, a step police described as standard procedure. The cause of the crash remains unknown. The public prosecutor’s office has commissioned an accident reconstruction report, and police cautioned that it was too early to comment on what happened. More than 200 firefighters, medics and police responded. A section of the highway was closed for a time, with traffic resuming in the afternoon. The report notes that the crash follows other recent bus accidents in Europe, including a fatal crash in Switzerland and an accident on Germany’s A3 that injured 30 people. It also explains that Munich’s Oktoberfest is the world’s largest beer festival, attracting millions of visitors each year with beer tents, Bavarian food, music and fairground rides.

At least two people were killed and 19 were taken to hospital after a bus carrying Filipino tourists crashed in Germany while travelling from Milan to Munich for Oktoberfest, according to local authorities. The crash occurred at 05:41 local time. Fürstenfeldbruck police spokesman Martin Cornils said the Italian tour bus had about 35 people on board, most of them of Filipino descent. It veered off the road and overturned in bushes near Buchloe. Cornils said six people were airlifted by rescue helicopter to nearby emergency clinics, while two others were taken by ambulance to nearby hospitals. The article reports that 19 people were in hospital, but does not provide further details on the condition of those injured or explain the difference between that figure and the transport numbers quoted by the police spokesman. Investigators were examining the cause of the crash, which had not been established at the time of publication. The report also notes that the incident occurred weeks after a separate Dutch tour bus crash in eastern Switzerland killed five people.

Four American tourists were among six people killed when an explosion destroyed a two-story residential building in Athens’ historic Plaka district, near the Acropolis. The victims—two men and two women believed to be two couples—were staying in the building. They had been expected to take a 3 p.m. flight from Athens on Friday but did not arrive at the airport, according to a police source cited by Reuters. Documents and belongings recovered with the victims indicated they were U.S. citizens, Greek state broadcaster ERT and other local media reported. The other two people killed were an elderly couple who lived in an apartment in the building. Emergency crews recovered all six bodies from the rubble on Saturday after a search that involved 30 firefighters, three dogs, cameras and sensors. Two women were injured in a neighboring building on Lysikratous Street; a resident told The Associated Press that those rescued from that building were tourists. The explosion also damaged nearby homes, shops, vehicles and a church. A pastor said Sunday services would be held outdoors because of damage to the church. Athens Mayor Haris Doukas said the blast was believed to have been caused by a major gas leak. Authorities were investigating after reports that people had smelled gas in the area. The powerful explosion sent rubble and shattered glass as far as three blocks away, crushed parked cars and reduced the building to debris, including twisted metal, broken tiles and concrete. U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle expressed sorrow over the deaths of the four American citizens. The article reports the ongoing recovery and investigation, but does not provide a final determination of the explosion’s cause.