Authorities are continuing their investigation into the explosion that occurred on Wednesday afternoon (21 October) on Platonos Street in Kolonos, Athens, injuring two civilians and two police officers.

According to information obtained by protothema.gr, evidence gathered so far indicates that the blast was caused by a low-power explosive device fitted with a detonator, which had been placed inside a white bag.

The bag had been left on the ground floor of an apartment building on Platonos Street and was noticed by the building manager. The man called the police emergency response service to report the incident, believing that the bag might contain drugs.

Police officers arrived at the scene and, when one of them opened the bag, the device was triggered, causing an explosion.

Investigators handling the case are examining all possibilities and have not yet reached any firm conclusions about the circumstances behind the incident.

The police officer who opened the bag was taken to the 401 Military Hospital, where he was admitted to the operating theatre. His colleague and the two civilians, including the building manager, were taken to Evangelismos Hospital. None of the injured is in a life-threatening condition.

‘We heard a bang and thought there had been a car crash’, eyewitness says

An eyewitness who owns a shop in the area described to protothema.gr what happened in the moments following the explosion in Kolonos.

He said the loud noise initially led him and his friends to believe there had been a road accident. When they went outside, they saw smoke and shortly afterwards were told that a bomb had exploded.

“We were with our friends when we heard a bang and thought there had been a car crash. We went outside, saw smoke, and a little while later they told us it was a bomb,” he said.

According to the witness, the emergency response was swift, with ambulances and police arriving at the scene within about five minutes.

“The ambulances and the police arrived in five minutes. They said there were three injured people; beyond that, I don’t know,” he added.

‘They went to open a parcel and the explosion happened’

Meanwhile, a local resident told protothema.gr that she had been inside the apartment building when the explosion occurred. Those present initially believed there had been a car accident.

“I was here in the apartment building. We heard the bang and went downstairs to see whether there had been a car crash,” she said.

“We saw what looked like a parcel. Someone went to open it — a police officer, from what we heard — and the explosion happened,” she added.

According to the woman, the blast occurred at the entrance to the apartment building, after which searches were carried out in the wider area.

Excerpt: Investigators are examining the circumstances surrounding the blast in central Athens after a suspicious bag was reported to police. Witnesses described hearing a loud bang, seeing smoke and watching emergency crews arrive within minutes.