On Sept. 25 a powerful explosion in Athens' Plaka district collapsed a two-story building, killing four Americans — newlyweds Ian Kirkpatrick and Florida Hoxha, Florida's brother Florin Hoxha, and his pregnant wife Erisa Cani. Rescue crews pulled multiple unconscious victims from the rubble and treated two women from an adjacent building. Authorities suspect a gas leak and investigators from the Arson Crimes Division and the national gas operator Enaon EDA are probing the sequence of explosion, fire and collapse. Local officials and colleagues remembered the victims for their community service and professional contributions.
Newlyweds Among Four Americans Killed in Devastating Athens Explosion; Investigation Focuses on Suspected Gas Leak
From left: Ian Alexander Kirkpatrick, Florida Hoxha, Eris Cani and Florin Hoxha.Credit: Facebook
Four American citizens — newlyweds Ian Alexander Kirkpatrick and Florida Hoxha, along with Florida’s brother Florin Hoxha and his wife Erisa Cani — were killed after a powerful explosion collapsed a two-story building in the historic Plaka neighborhood of Athens on Sept. 25.
Deaths, Rescue Efforts and Immediate Aftermath
The blast occurred shortly before 8 a.m. local time on Lysikratous Street, sending rubble and flames through the residential block. Firefighters pulled six people from the wreckage unconscious and rushed them to nearby hospitals. Two additional women were rescued from an adjacent building and also taken for treatment. The blast also claimed the lives of a British man, Edmond Hings, 78, and his Greek wife, Athena Papaprescou, 77.
Victims and Background
Kirkpatrick, 37, and Florida Hoxha, 34, had married on Long Island, New York, just over a month before the explosion. The couple spent a week in Mexico and then nine days in Greece; they had already checked in for their return flight to the United States and were scheduled to depart within hours of the blast, Kirkpatrick’s mother, Suzanne Nelson, said.
Ian Alexander Kirkpatrick, Florida Hoxha, Eris Cani and Florin Hoxha.Credit: Facebook
Florida Hoxha worked as a senior attorney at the New York Legal Assistance Group representing immigrants at risk of eviction. Vedat Gashi, a Westchester County legislator and fellow Albanian American, described her as "smart, ambitious and devoted to her community," and asked for a moment of silence in her honor.
Florin Hoxha, 36, had worked in real estate and later co-founded a construction company. His wife, Erisa Cani, was five-and-a-half months pregnant and served as an assistant professor of pharmacy practice at Touro College, with clinical experience at Bronx-Lebanon Hospital and training at Einstein Medical Center and SUNY Downstate.
Kirkpatrick worked as a regulatory and compliance officer at Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group. His mother remembered him as a "wonderful, incredible, unique human being" who was creative, multilingual and joyful in his newly married life.
Rescuers search for survivors after a blast in the Plaka district of Athens, Greece, on September 26, 2026.Credit: Costas Baltas/Anadolu via Getty
Investigation Underway
Authorities responding to the scene reported a smell of gas in the area, and investigators from the Arson Crimes Division and the national gas operator Enaon EDA attended. Athens Mayor Haris Doukas told reporters the blast was likely caused by a gas leak, and officials are examining the sequence of events — explosion, fire and collapse — to determine the precise cause.
Rescue teams continued searching the rubble using sound-detection equipment, cameras and rescue dogs as part of ongoing efforts to locate any remaining survivors.
"They would have been leaving in a few hours," Suzanne Nelson said of her son and his bride.
The community response included tributes from colleagues and local officials who highlighted the victims' professional contributions and devotion to family and community. The investigation and rescue operations remain active as authorities work to determine how the tragic blast occurred.
Help us improve.
