Tragedy in Athens: Four Albanians died under the rubble, Florida Hoxha was an outstanding lawyer while Erisa was expecting her first daughter

The collapse of a building in Athens’ Plaka district claimed the lives of six people, including four Albanians. Nicoletta Gioni, a friend of the victims’ families, told Newsbomb about the heartbreaking details surrounding the two Albanian couples who lost their lives in the tragedy.

One of the victims was Florida Hoxha, who had recently married Ian Alexander Kirkpatrick. Gioni described her as an extraordinary, energetic woman and a highly accomplished lawyer.

“She was a wonderful person. An outstanding lawyer. Full of life,” said the family friend, who admitted that she still could not believe what had happened. According to her, the scale of the tragedy has deeply shaken the families and everyone who knew the victims.

The story of the other couple, Florin Hoxha and Erisa Cani, is particularly heartbreaking. They had married recently and had gone to Greece for their honeymoon, during a period that was supposed to be one of the happiest of their lives.

The couple was also preparing to become parents for the first time. “Florin and Erisa were very excited because they were expecting their first child,” Gioni said, revealing that Erisa was pregnant with a girl. She described the loss of the two couples as a great tragedy for their families and friends.

Florida Hoxha and her husband, 37-year-old Ian Alexander Kirkpatrick, had rented an apartment through Airbnb on the first floor of the building. Erisa Cani and Florin Hoxha were staying on the same floor.

Following the collapse, search-and-rescue teams worked for hours. In the early hours of Saturday morning, the body of a woman was found, while several hours later the body of a man was also recovered. The two victims were an elderly couple who lived on the second floor.

Shortly before 1 p.m., two more bodies were discovered under the rubble. They belonged to American tourists who were staying on the first floor. After 1:30 p.m., the final two victims were found, marking the end of the fire services’ operation. The collapse claimed the lives of six people.