Schools at Athens’ Grava complex will remain closed in the coming days, with classes moving online as authorities continue investigating a persistent gas odor whose source has yet to be identified.
Athens Mayor Haris Doukas ordered the schools to continue operating without students physically present amid mounting concern among parents and teachers over the unexplained smell.
The natural gas supply to the complex’s burners has been shut off since Friday. Despite repeated measurements, however, investigators have not identified the source of any potential leak, Athens Deputy Mayor for Education Thomas Georgiadis said.
The investigation is particularly complex because the school’s gas network extends for several kilometers, with pipes running through areas including underground spaces. Technical teams are conducting both high-pressure strength tests and low-pressure leak-tightness checks.
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A private company carrying out inspections under the supervision of the City of Athens was expected to deliver its initial findings late Sunday night.
“We have questions about whether the network currently in place at the school complex is properly licensed, as well as whether the necessary inspections have been carried out in recent years,” said Kostas Danias, a board member of the Attica Parents and Guardians Association.
Athens Mayor Calls for Further Inspections
The continuing closure has also triggered a dispute over responsibility for the inspections.
Doukas accused the Education Ministry, Ktiriakes Ypodomes S.A. — the state-owned company responsible for public building infrastructure — and the Civil Protection Ministry of being absent from the inspection process.
He also said the Technical Chamber of Greece, the country’s statutory technical adviser to the state, had indicated that it had not been given the required access or received the relevant report from the ministry.
“For the City of Athens, the safety of students and teachers is non-negotiable,” Doukas said.
The mayor called on the Education Ministry to immediately instruct the Technical Chamber to conduct inspections and issue findings as a public-law legal entity.
“Until then, the Grava schools will remain closed,” he said.
Gas Odor First Reported in September
Concerns at Grava stretch back several weeks.
The first reports of a strong odor were recorded on Sept. 16. Another incident on Sept. 21 prompted an alert and was subsequently attributed to a circuit board malfunction caused by moisture.
The problem resurfaced on October 2, with further reports of the odor eventually prompting the suspension of in-person classes.
Education Minister Sofia Zacharaki has called for the technical inspection to be completed immediately so that authorities can provide full and clear safety assurances before the approximately 4,000 students who attend schools at the complex return to their classrooms.
Until those assurances are provided, students will continue their lessons remotely.