A mysterious, pungent gas-like odor hasblanketed large sectors of the Athens metropolitan area, triggering widespread public alarm, emergency building evacuations, and a multi-agency investigation that has yet to pinpoint the source.
The intense smell, resembling liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), primarily choked the southern coastal suburbs stretching from Glyfada and Palaio Faliro to the port of Piraeus, Keratsini, and Drapetsona.
The fumes eventually drifted into central Athens, reaching as far as the Greek Parliament building.
Municipal authorities and emergency services acted swiftly as a precaution.
In Palaio Faliro, Mayor Giannis Fostiroppoulos ordered the immediate evacuation of the town hall due to suffocating indoor conditions.
Similar precautionary evacuations of businesses, office complexes, and schools were executed across Kallithea and Nea Smyrni.
Emergency response crews, including firefighters, Hellenic Coast Guard personnel, and technical teams from Greece’s natural gas operators, mobilized across the capital. However, gas distribution operator Enaon EDA confirmed after extensive infrastructure checks that no atmospheric leaks were detected in the Attica network.
The Coast Guard placed patrol vessels on high alert in the Saronic Gulf to inspect shipping channels and coastal energy installations.
No marine accidents, industrial malfunctions, or commercial shipping spills have been reported. Furthermore, atmospheric monitoring by the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens showed no elevated levels of natural gas or hazardous chemical pollutants.
Drapetsona Mayor Christos Vrettakos noted that a similar unexplained odor event occurred last month, compounding local anxieties.
Amid the ongoing uncertainty, civic protection agencies have advised residents across the affected southern suburbs to stay indoors and keep windows firmly closed until the phenomenon dissipates.