Five-car crash on Kifisos snarls Athens traffic, with delays on Attiki Odos

Kifisos pile-up

Traffic in Athens was heavily disrupted on Tuesday, 20 October 2026, after a five-vehicle collision on the Kifisos. The crash happened in the lane heading towards Lamia, at the height of Acharnon street near Nea Chalkidona, and it produced queues several kilometres long. One report said the road was at a standstill from Kallithea to Nea Filadelphia, while another put the jam between Faliro and Nea Ionia. Delays were also noted on the downhill lane towards Piraeus, from Varibobi to Nea Ionia, and on the Kifisos in both directions from Aigaleo to Metamorfosi.

Athens Avenue and Attiki Odos

A lorry struck the central barriers on Athens Avenue in the lane towards Corinth, near the Aspropyrgos refineries, according to iefimerida, and the blockage there was described as large. Separately, accidents on Attiki Odos in the lane towards the airport, at Zefyri and Metamorfosi, caused delays reaching Marousi. In the airport direction, one iefimerida report from Tuesday morning put delays above 45 minutes between Fyli and Kifisias. Towards Elefsina, delays of 15 to 20 minutes were recorded between Anthousa and Kifisias, and between Agia Paraskevi and Kifisias on the Ymittos ring road.

Congestion across the centre

Traffic was also heavier on Kifisias Avenue, Mesogeion Avenue and Karea Avenue from Ilioupoli to Alimos-Katechaki. Around the city centre, delays were reported on Syngrou, Kallirrois, Ardittou, Vasilissis Sofias, Vasilissis Amalias and Alexandras Avenue. Iefimerida also recorded problems on Athens Avenue between Chaidari and Skaramagka. Outlets urged drivers to be patient and pointed them to live traffic updates from the traffic police.

What the coverage does not say

The reports describe the day as starting with increased traffic, with the trouble spots mainly concentrated on the Kifisos, Athens Avenue and Attiki Odos. The disruption was spread across several arteries at once rather than a single blockage, which left much of the wider Attica basin slow. No source gives injury details for the collisions, and none gives a time when the roads cleared. The delay figures above are the estimates published at the time of each report and may have changed since.