Part of an abandoned historical building on the busy Patision Avenue in the center of Athens collapsed on Saturday noon time.
10 firefighters with 6 trucks are operating at the spot, while men of the Fire Service Rescue unit EMAK with a trained dog rushed to search for people trapped under the rubble.
According to the fire service, a homeless man of Pakistani nationality was pulled out from under the debris. He was by his sense and did not suffer any injuries.
The man is currently being questioned as to whether other people were in the building as well.
The two-storey building at the corner Patision and Sarantaporou is one of the many historical buildings in Athens that have been abandoned and nobody takes care of them.
via twitter source
Every time an abandoned historical building collapses there is a huge public debate about their possible demolition or restoration. However, restoration is an issue of a very high cost, demolition is often impossible due on grounds of onwership as some have been inherited to people who cannot afford or have not interest to do anything. Not to mention the obstacles imposed by the monster of the Greek bureaucracy , as intervention in historical buildings needs permission by a series of state agencies.
one might ask why are there so many abandoned buildings not only in the center of the city but all over the country? perhaps it has something to do with the absurd burdens (the taxes and monetary costs are only one aspect, the surrealistic maze of bureacratic demands are as well) imposed on people who would otherwise have kept these houses in the family over the years? when you slam people with heavy inheritance taxes, with crazy procedures to run through with arbitrary deadlines and unlimited delays.. and then supposing someone manages to get the property in his name, then begins the great adventure of the ‘tekmiria’ (fantasy income that gets levied real tax) and the enfia and all the rest, imposed on a younger generation who very likely are struggling on 5 or 6 hundred a month.
oh, and then you enter the new adventure of trying to get a permit to even fix the place up so it _doesnt_ fall down.. some self-important paper pusher will come by and slap you with a list of demands and aside from the added expense, the added runaround, and more years of delays, the whole process is more or less designed to trip people up on technicalities and generate even more revenue from fines.
How many people would just say ‘no thanks’ to all that? a lot of people do.
Your comments are quite humorous. Once again the victimization of the Greek people and the evil of government. Tax evasion IS the national sport of Greece!!
If tax evasion and fraud were an Olympic event, Greeks would be on the medal podium every time. Additionally, Greece has one of the highest percentage of the population that claims some sort of government benefit…where does this money come from?
Yes, lets blame the government for the abandoned buildings in Athens…my Swiss bank account needs a little more cash…times are tough…can I get a receipt…what is a receipt?