Explosion shakes Athens, damages bank

A strong explosion shook Athens late Sunday, damaging a bank and insurance agency.

Thousands were awoken by the blast, but no one was injured or killed because police had cleared the area after receiving an anonymous tip, state television reported.

"We heard the explosion here in Piraeus, almost four kilometres away," said one man. Another man, who lives about two and a half kilometres away in the Omonoia district, reported a "strong buzzing," according to radio reports, DPA reported.

The national bank and insurance agency in the central Syngrou avenue were heavily damaged, eyewitnesses said. The first storey of the building was nearly completely destroyed. There was also damage to nearby parked cars and windows in nearby buildings.

The leftist newspaper Eleftherotypia received an anonymous warning shortly before the blast to give security officials and pedestrians about 15 minutes to clear the area, reported the newspaper on its website.

Authorities believed leftist groups blamed for attacks against police in recent months were behind the explosion.

Since police killed a 15-year-old demonstrator in December 2008, the Greek capital city has been beset by violent protests and multiple bombings against police stations, banks and state agencies.

The violence over the last year has left one policeman dead in the last year and seven more wounded, some seriously. Police stations, vehicles and banks have been common targets of attacks.