An elderly Briton is among six dead after a building collapsed in a blast in Athens, Greece, near the ancient Acropolis.
The British man, 78, and his Greek wife, 77, who lived on the second storey of the building, were found dead in the rubble after the explosion on Friday morning in the Greek capital’s tourist district of Plaka.
An American family of four visiting the country was also killed. The tourists – a couple, their son and his girlfriend – were due to check out and catch a flight at 3pm on Friday, but the family did not show, a police official said.
The identities of those killed have not yet been confirmed by officials.
The Reform MPs who face losing their seats according to new poll
Robert Jenrick and Suella Braverman are among four Reform UK MPs who would lose their seats if a general election were held tomorrow, fresh polling by YouGov shows.
Falling behind the Tories
Tory defector Danny Kruger and Sarah Pochin – who beat Labour in a 2025 by-election – would also be unseated, according to the leading UK pollster’s first large-scale election modelling since Andy Burnham became Prime Minister.
Although the party’s numbers of MPs would hugely increase, it would have fewer seats than the Tories overall, marking a significant fall when compared to last year’s polling.
How a Labour government could be formed
The poll predicts that Labour would be the biggest party in a hung parliament.
Lib Dem leader Ed Davey recently ruled out forming a coalition with Reform or the Tories but stopped short of excluding a coalition with Labour.
However, to form a Parliamentary majority in this scenario, Burnham would also need to work with the SNP or Plaid Cymru.
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Reform expanding its operations
The polling comes as Reform is preparing a huge expansion of its operations around the country, targeting London, the South East, the South West and the East of England.
- Analysis of Reform job adverts by The i Paper suggests the party is pumping resources into areas where it wants to keep its high-profile Tory defectors.
There’s turmoil in the Liberal Democrats. And MPs are struggling for direction
Stagnant in the polls but still a potential kingmaker, the party’s at a crossroads – even its own members are asking what comes next.
Record number of assaults on Britain’s trains – what to know
Assaults on Britain’s railways have hit record levels, new figures from the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) have revealed.
The numbers
The data published on Thursday showed there were 13,464 reported assaults on people who were not railway workers between April 2025 and March 2026, an increase of 36 per cent compared to the previous year.
- 11,289 assaults on rail workers on mainline networks were also recorded, an increase of 12 per cent. This included 6,390 incidents of verbal abuse, 2,487 physical assaults and 2,412 threats.
Working to make railways safer
No-one on the railway should be subjected to violence, threats or abuse. We’re working with industry and our trade union colleagues to address work-related violence and harassment, including through recent guidance which sets out what we expect from rail employers.
Richard Hines, ORR’s chief inspector railways
Walkers reveals three new crisp flavours
Three new “gold” flavours of Walkers are now available for crisp lovers. The new snacks mark the brand’s biggest revamp in 80 years.
What are the flavours and how much are they?
The new flavours are black truffle, sea salt and olive oil and Somerset mature cheddar and onion.
Each pack is branded as “Premium Potato Crisps”.
The crisps come in 140g bags and can currently be bought for £2 each.
Where you can buy them
The entire range launched on Ocado officially today, but from October 12, they will be widely available in major UK supermarkets for a cheaper price of £1.50.
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Rescue operation continues
Rescuers worked through the night Friday, using mechanical diggers and thermal-imaging cameras to retrieve the six bodies. Search operations, involving 30 firefighters and three dogs, continue for other possible victims, authorities said Saturday.
Police, giving an update on the rescue operation, said the building had been reduced to a mass of rubble, twisted metal, and hanging concrete slabs.
The blast reportedly shook the area, which is normally busy with foreign visitors. The surrounding area includes some of the Greek capital’s most-visited sites, including the Acropolis and the Temple of Zeus.
Three others reported injuries following the explosion that damaged nearby houses, shops and cars. Other affected buildings have been evacuated while an inspection is underway to determine whether their structure can be salvaged without demolition.
Doukas said the blast was an “unbelievable disaster” and confirmed officials believed the explosion was “triggered by… a very significant gas leak”.
“It (the rescue operation) is not easy as the biggest part of the building has collapsed and there is risk for adjacent buildings which have been evacuated for security reasons,” police spokeswoman Constantina Dimoglidou told public broadcaster ERT.
Mathaios Artavanis, the owner of the ground-floor apartment, told the local Kathimerini outlet that he was out at the time of the blast and had tried to contact the British-Greek couple who lived above him, without success.
Video footage from the scene showed rubble strewn across the street, with parked cars smashed by falling debris. The people rescued by the fire department from the adjacent building were all tourists, resident Andreas Martzaklis said.
The pastor of a nearby church said that this Sunday’s service would be held outdoors because of damage to the church.
Officials previously warned
Residents in the Plaka neighbourhood had a year ago warned the city and utility companies about the risk of gas leaks or short circuits, according to a letter by the residents’ association, published by Kathimerini.
A social media citizens’ group said a resident of the affected street had earlier alerted authorities after smelling a possible gas leak.
A spokesman for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: “We are aware of a suspected explosion in Athens and are in touch with the local authorities. We stand ready to offer assistance to British nationals abroad 24/7.”