Explosion levels hotel in Kastoria

A powerful explosion destroyed a hotel in Kastoria, northern Greece, early Thursday morning. No injuries have so far been reported.

The blast, which occurred at 1.30 a.m., brought down the three-storied building, scattering fragments of glass and metal objects in a radius of at least 80 meters.

Video footage from the scene shown on state-run broadcaster ERT on Thursday morning showed smoke billowing from a pile of rubble.

Firefighters from Kastoria have been dispatched on the scene while police officers have cordoned off the area and blocked traffic on the main highway leading to the city, which passes near the hotel.

The regional directorate of Western Macedonia's Fire Service and Kastoria Police said the owner of the hotel told them that the business had been closed for the past year and that there was no one inside the building.

The fire...