Explosion Injures Four, Including Two Police Officers, in Athens

An explosion at the entrance of an apartment building in central Athens, Greece, has injured four people, including two police officers, prompting an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the blast.

The explosion occurred on Wednesday, October 21, in the Kolonos district after police officers responded to a report concerning suspected drug activity at the building.

According to Reuters, a police official said officers had been alerted by the building manager about a backpack believed to contain drugs near the entrance. The explosion occurred when officers arrived and handled the bag. The building manager was among those injured.

Greek public broadcaster ERT News reported that the bag contained suspected narcotics and weighing scales, and that an improvised explosive device detonated when a police officer opened it. Two police officers and two civilians were injured in the incident. One of the officers sustained more serious injuries, although initial reports indicated that his life was not in danger.

All four injured people were taken to hospital for treatment. Emergency personnel, including firefighters and specialist police teams, were deployed to the scene.

Authorities cordoned off the area while bomb-disposal experts examined the building and nearby structures for possible additional explosive devices. Investigators were also examining fragments recovered from the blast to establish the origin of the device and the circumstances that led to its detonation.

Greek authorities are investigating the incident as a criminal matter. Police have said the explosion is not currently being treated as a terrorist attack.

The incident comes less than a month after a separate explosion in Athens’ historic Plaka district on September 25 caused a building to collapse and killed six people. That earlier blast was linked to a suspected gas leak, according to reports by international media.

Authorities have not established any connection between the two incidents.

The investigation into Wednesday’s explosion remains ongoing.