Μake us preferred on Google Four American tourists killed when an explosion destroyed a residential building in central Athens have been identified as two siblings and their partners, according to their family.
The victims were Florida Hoxha, 34, and her husband, Ian Kirkpatrick, 37, who had married 25 days before the blast, and Florin Hoxha, 36, and his longtime partner, Eris Cani, 39. Cani was five months pregnant with the couple’s first child, a daughter.
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The four had been staying in a two-story Airbnb in Athens’ Plaka neighborhood when an explosion struck at about 7:30 a.m. Friday, killing six people.
Family learned of deaths while flying to Athens
The four had been scheduled to return to New York at about 3 p.m. that day and had checked in for their flight. But when Florida, Ian, Florin and Eris failed to board, their family began trying to determine what had happened.
Klajd Hoxha, 31, Florida and Florin’s brother, said his family received a call from the U.S. Embassy in Greece informing them that two Americans had been confirmed dead beneath the collapsed building.
Klajd, his fiancée Cindy, their parents and other relatives flew to Greece that night. He said the family initially held on to the possibility that their loved ones might have survived beneath the rubble.
As the plane approached Greece, however, Cindy told him that two Americans had been confirmed dead. Klajd said the family later met with U.S. Embassy officials, who told them their relatives had most likely been killed.
Emergency personnel search for survivors in the rubble of a building that partially collapsed following an explosion in the Plaka area, which is popular with tourists, in central Athens, Greece, September 26, 2026. REUTERS/Stelios Misinaσ
“We kind of understood, you know, this is real,” Klajd said, according to an exclusive in the Daily Mail. “It’s not a movie. It’s not a nightmare or anything.”
He said he had spoken with his siblings the night before the explosion and that both families had been in daily contact with them throughout the week.
Victims were on vacation in Athens
Florin and Eris had made the trip as part of a vacation they took nearly every year. Klajd said he had also been invited to join them.
The couple had been together for a long time and were expecting their first child. Eris was five months pregnant with a daughter, whom Klajd described as his future niece.
Florida and Ian had recently married and had celebrated their wedding with family before taking a “mini-moon” to Mexico.
Klajd said his brother Florin was his “best friend” and had co-founded the Westchester-based construction company Prufrock Builders with him.
Eris worked as a clinical infectious diseases pharmacist and an assistant professor at Touro College of Pharmacy. Klajd described her as a gentle person who cared deeply for his family and others.
Florida was a senior attorney at NILAG, a nonprofit organization, and had devoted her legal career to helping people with limited means, according to her brother. She was also involved with the Albanian-American community and served as president of Albanian Professional Entrepreneurs Networking.
An explosion occurred in the early morning hours on Lysikratous Street in Plaka, causing serious property damage, Friday, September 25, 2026 (DANAI DAVLOPOULOU/EUROKINISSI)
Ian worked as a vice president at Japanese financial group Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group. Klajd said Ian had also been learning Albanian so he could communicate with the family’s grandmother and relatives outside the United States.
Investigation focuses on building’s second floor
The explosion destroyed the building and killed six people. A 78-year-old man and his 77-year-old wife, who lived on the second floor, were also killed. The couple were later identified by The National Herald as British national Edmond Hinks and his Greek wife, Athena Papareskou.
The couple had been seen on their balcony shortly before the blast. Their apartment had a view of the Acropolis and was at the center of the investigation because authorities believe the explosion originated on the second floor.
The second floor was reportedly the only level of the building with an active natural gas supply. A gas leak is believed to have caused the explosion, although authorities are continuing to investigate what happened.
About 30 firefighters and six vehicles, including units from Greece’s EMAK disaster response team, searched the collapsed structure. Two women were also rescued from a neighboring building and taken to a hospital.
Klajd said the family had been told that the bodies of all four relatives had been recovered and that they were waiting for clearance to bring them back to the United States.
U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle said she was “deeply saddened” by the deaths and expressed condolences to the victims’ families. She also thanked Greek first responders and said the U.S. Embassy was providing consular assistance.
Klajd said the embassy had been “unbelievable and so helpful and so caring” throughout the ordeal.
The family is still seeking answers about what caused the explosion. Klajd said they were not looking to assign blame but wanted clarity about what had happened.
“We just want a little bit of peace as to what has happened exactly,” he said.
