Greek man among the dead in East Harlem building blast

credit greek press

Athens native Andreas Panagopoulos who was living in New York for the past 25 years was confirmed as being among the dead in the East Harlem building explosion. The victim, 43, lived in one of the buildings that collapsed in a massive explosion caused by a gas leak on Wednesday, that left at least eight dead and 54 injured.

His death was confirmed by authorities after his wife, Liseth Perez Almeida, 39, and a friend identified his remains at a medical examiner’s office.

Perez Almeida, who is from Venezuela, said that she had left the apartment earlier than usual for a work event on Wednesday, while her husband remained there, working from home. She and her friends desperately sought news of Panagopoulos after the blast, visiting three hospitals to see if they could find him.

      “He was very smart and very Greek. He was very proud of his heritage, and he went back every summer to see his family there,” she said.

Panagopoulos worked for a company called Production Paradise, selling online advertisements. He was an enthusiastic and accomplished guitarist, and once played in a rock blues band called Evergreen. Since the breakup of the band he occasionally performed as a DJ.

*Editor's Note - What a tragedy, Our condolences to his family and friends.