Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has appealed for calm as tons of of rolling earthquakes have left the residents of Santorini island, and its neighbours within the Aegean Sea, rattled.
Data from the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) confirmed the quakes had been persevering with to happen a couple of minutes aside as of 7am on Tuesday (05:00 GMT), with the most important quake recorded at magnitude 5.1 on Monday afternoon.
Talking from Brussels, Mitsotakis mentioned authorities have been monitoring a “very intense” geological phenomenon over current days, earlier than urging “our islanders above all to stay calm”.
Hundreds of locals and holidaymakers have crowded onto ferries and flights to go away Santorini and the neighbouring islands of Anafi, Ios and Amorgos, amid fears the tremors, which have to date induced minimal injury and no accidents, may point out a bigger earthquake is coming.
The picturesque crescent-shaped Santorini island is residence to a dormant volcano, however an professional committee set as much as monitor the scenario mentioned an estimated 200 quakes of magnitude 3 or extra had been registered, however careworn the phenomenon was “not linked to volcanic exercise”.
Outstanding Greek seismologist Gerasimos Papadopoulos cautioned that the present earthquake sequence – displayed on stay seismic maps as a rising cluster of dots between the islands of Santorini, Ios, Amorgos, and Anafi – may point out a bigger impending occasion.
“All eventualities stay open,” Papadopoulos wrote in a web based publish.
“The variety of tremors has elevated, magnitudes have risen, and epicentres have shifted northeast. Whereas these are tectonic quakes, not volcanic, the danger degree has escalated,” he mentioned.
An intense earthquake swarm is rattling the island of Santorini, Greece, resulting in evacuations. Earlier at present, a M5.1 earthquake joined this swarm — the strongest to date. pic.twitter.com/YYJfWv7aSQ
— Nahel Belgherze (@WxNB_) February 3, 2025
Santorini attracts greater than three million guests yearly to its whitewashed villages constructed alongside dramatic cliffs shaped by an enormous volcanic eruption round 1620 BC, thought-about to be one of many largest in human historical past.
That eruption destroyed a big a part of the island, blanketed a large space in metres of ash and is believed to have contributed to the decline of the traditional Minoan civilisation, which had flourished within the area.
Though Santorini nonetheless has an lively volcano, the final notable eruption occurred in 1950.
“What we should realise is that the Santorini volcano produces very giant explosions each 20,000 years,” Efthymios Lekkas, seismologist and head of the scientific monitoring committee for the Hellenic Volcanic Arc, mentioned final week.
“It’s been 3,000 years for the reason that final explosion, so now we have a really very long time forward of us earlier than we face a giant explosion.”
Ferries and planes full
In response to the AFP information company, some 2,000 folks left Santorini by sea on Sunday and Monday, with ferry operators and airways saying they had been including providers to assist extra folks go away after a request from the nation’s Ministry for Local weather Disaster and Civil Safety.
In recent times, Instagram fame has introduced tourism on the island to saturation level, though cooler winter climate means it’s removed from peak season but.
Kostas Sakavaras, a vacationer information who has lived on the island for 17 years, informed AFP he had by no means skilled this degree of seismic exercise earlier than.
“It was shaking each three to 4 hours yesterday. This feels completely different from the opposite instances,” he mentioned.
Sakavaras mentioned he left the island on Sunday together with his spouse and two youngsters, on a ferry stuffed with passengers. “We plan to remain [on the mainland] till the top of the week. I believe it’s going to escalate tomorrow and I hope then it would relax,” he mentioned.
Emergency crews have helped to arrange tents in a basketball courtroom subsequent to the island’s foremost hospital as a staging space whereas faculties on all 4 islands have closed.
Push alerts have additionally been despatched to cell phones, warning folks to keep away from areas the place rockslides may happen, and banning entry to some coastal areas.
