Families of Athens Blast Victims Arrive in Greece for Identification as All Six Names Confirmed

The families of six people killed in last week's explosion and building collapse in Athens' Plaka district were expected to arrive in Greece on Sunday to assist with victim identification, as authorities released the full names of all those who died.

Officials have asked relatives to provide genetic material for comparison with remains recovered from the site on Lysikratous Street. It remains unclear exactly when the families will arrive.

The four Americans killed were identified as Florida Hoxha and her husband, Ian Alexander Kirkpatrick, along with Florida's brother, Florin Hoxha, and his wife, Eris Tsani. Mrs. Hoxha and Mr. Kirkpatrick were reportedly newlyweds on their honeymoon in Greece. Mrs. Tsani was reported by state broadcaster ERT and relatives to have been three to four months pregnant, a detail authorities said is expected to be confirmed through the autopsy.

The remaining two victims were an elderly couple who lived on the building's second floor: 77-year-old Briton Edmond Hinksand 78-year-old Athina Papareskou.

CBS News, citing American and Greek authorities, reported that the U.S. Embassy has said it is providing consular support to the victims' families.

Investigators continue examining the disaster site, with a team from the Arson and Explosives Crimes Directorate collecting evidence as authorities work to reconstruct the moments leading up to the blast. The leading theory remains a natural gas leak, with evidence pointing to the second-floor apartment — the only unit in the building with an active gas connection — as the likely point of origin.

Athens Deputy Mayor Andreas Grammatikogiannis said early indications point to a fault in the building's internal gas network, noting that the blast wave and the heaviest damage were concentrated at the second-floor level. Investigators are also examining whether the building's age and construction contributed to its collapse, with experts noting vulnerabilities in older masonry. A final determination on the precise cause awaits the findings of forensic examiners.

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