Overview
- Rescue teams and firefighters searched the Petralona site after the four-storey residential block gradually collapsed on Tuesday and most residents escaped as the failure unfolded.
- Early reports said up to four people were missing but follow-up checks located three by phone and the fourth was not at the building, leaving no confirmed trapped victims so far.
- Police detained five people connected to the adjacent works, including the contractor, the site engineer and the neighbouring building owner, as part of a criminal and administrative probe.
- Athens vice-mayor Andreas Grammatikoyannis told public TV that excavation at a nearby construction site could have undermined the building’s foundations and that structural experts will carry out forensic tests.
- The inquiry and arrests raise scrutiny of local construction practices and building safety, and authorities are likely to review excavation methods, permits and oversight for nearby projects.