ATHENS, Sept 25 (Reuters) - An explosion caused a residential building to collapse in the crowded touristic centre of Athens on Friday, injuring three people and damaging houses, shops and cars across a historic neighbourhood.
It was not immediately clear what caused the blast in the two-storey building in Plaka near some of Athens' most popular sites including the Acropolis and the Temple of Zeus, sending rocks and broken glass as far as three blocks away.
Police spokeswoman Constantina Dimoglidou told public broadcaster ERT that the fire brigade has not yet concluded its site inspection.
Fire crews and ambulances rushed to the scene as smoke billowed above the ancient monuments. The building where the blast took place was reduced to a mess of twisted metal, broken balconies and hanging concrete slabs.
"It was like the whole building, the whole block blew off. That's how strong it was," said local resident Andreas Martzaklis.
Authorities said a passer-by was injured. Two women who had been trapped in an adjacent building were rescued and being treated in hospital.
The area is home to many hotels and short-term rentals and crowds of tourists stroll its narrow streets lined with cafes and souvenir shops.
A police source said at least five people lodged at the building, part of which was rented out to tourists. It was not immediately clear if others were trapped.
(Reporting by Louisa Gouliamaki and Stamos Prousalis; Additional reporting by Renee Maltezou; Writing by Angeliki Koutantou; Editing by Jamie Freed and Edward McAllister)
