Hundreds of individuals departed Santorini for Athens on ferries and planes on Tuesday to seek safety, as a series of earthquakes continued to rattle the well-known Greek tourist destination.
Recently, numerous earthquakes have been occurring every few minutes in the sea between the volcanic islands of Santorini and Amorgos in the Aegean Sea. Consequently, authorities have closed schools in Santorini, as well as the nearby islands of Ios, Amorgos, and Anafi until Friday.
A tremor with a magnitude of 4.9 was recorded by the Athens Geodynamic Institute at 0246 GMT on the island, where many iconic white and blue villages perch on steep cliffs overlooking the sea.
Numerous permanent residents and workers hurried to a port early on Tuesday to depart for the Greek capital. Aegean Airlines reported that flights from Santorini to Athens were fully booked, with an estimated 2,500 to 2,700 individuals expected to have left by the end of the day on Tuesday.
Individuals shared their reasons for leaving or staying due to the seismic activity. Beni Ouklala, 38, expressed, We are going to leave because I am afraid, there are constantly earthquakes, we have to leave for the kids so the kids can calm down. On the other hand, Eftichis Diamantopouulos, 63, a tourist boat captain, calmly stated, We will stay here, why should we leave? If something happens it happens.
While Santorini typically sees an influx of hundreds of thousands of tourists in the summer, it is quieter during this time of the year. However, as seismologists predict that the intense seismic activity may persist for days or weeks, local authorities have established an emergency accommodation plan, including eight designated shelters for those without secure housing.
Santorini Mayor Nikos Zorzos explained, We have places set up for shelters for the population without structures and on level surfaces. As a precaution, emergency rescue teams were deployed, with warnings issued to avoid coastal areas due to the risk of landslides and to refrain from indoor gatherings.
Hotels began to drain their pools after being informed that the water weight could compromise buildings, leading to a halt in construction activities. Greece, situated at the meeting point of the African and Eurasian tectonic plates, experiences frequent seismic activity, making it one of Europe's most earthquake-prone countries.
Santorini's present form resulted from a massive volcanic eruption around 1600 BC, with the last eruption in the region occurring in 1950.