Santorini rocked by ‘swarm’ of earthquakes as state of emergency declared
Experts say there is no sign yet that the seismic activity, which has caused hundreds of quakes in a week, is close to easing
The Greek government has declared a state of emergency on the island of Santorini, after a “swarm” of undersea earthquakes shook the tourist hotspot for nearly a week.
Thousands of residents and seasonal workers have fled the island, boarding ferries to the Greek mainland.
Some areas on the island’s renowned cliff top towns have been cordoned off due to being vulnerable to potential rock slides. School buildings have also remained closed all week.
The state of emergency came after a magnitude 5.2 tremor – the most powerful recorded since activity started on 31 January – struck late Wednesday.
Since then the island has been rocked by more seismic activity, including a 4.6 magnitude quake on Thursday evening between Santorini and the island of Amorgos, the BBC reported.
It added that was followed by a 4.2 magnitude quake about two hours later.
Government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said multiple emergency services were already mobilised to support the island.
“Fire departments, police, coast guard, armed forces, and emergency medical services have immediately reinforced Santorini and surrounding islands with additional personnel and specialized equipment,” he told reporters.
Experts say the seismic activity is unrelated to volcanic activity in the Aegean Sea, but are still unable to say whether the swarm could lead up to a more powerful earthquake.
“We are not yet in a position to say that we are seeing any evidence that would lead to the sequence slowly coming to a conclusion,” Vassilis Karastathis, a seismologist and director of research at National Observatory of Athens, said.
“We are still in the middle of the road, we haven’t seen any easing, any sign that it’s heading towards a regression.”
The earthquake epicentres are concentrated in a growing cluster between the islands of Santorini, Anafi, Amorgos, and Ios.
Experts view the underwater location as a mitigating factor, noting that it significantly reduces the potential for widespread damage compared to land-based seismic events.
With agencies
