Petralona building collapse prompts arrests and emergency aid in Athens

On 30 June 2024 a four‑storey apartment block on Alkminis St, Petralona, Athens collapsed within seconds. No one was killed; residents fled after the building began to tilt and fire‑rescue teams searched the rubble for possible victims, finding none.

Authorities are investigating deep excavation work on the neighboring plot that, according to experts, was carried out without the required retaining walls or geotechnical studies. The lack of proper support is believed to have destabilised the soil and caused the failure. Five people – three engineers, the contractor and the landowner – have been arrested and a preliminary criminal investigation for building‑code violations has begun. The Athens municipality approved an emergency grant of €3,000 for each of the seven affected families and is arranging short‑term accommodation through Airbnb and hotels while structural assessments of nearby buildings continue. Residents quoted officials saying they were told "the tilt was due to the earthquake in Euboea" despite evidence pointing to the excavations.