Hundreds of residents and tourists crowded the port of Santorini early Tuesday, scrambling to board a ferry to Athens as continuous earthquakes rattle the iconic Greek island.
Since Friday, seismic sensors have recorded hundreds of tremors occurring every few minutes between Santorini and Amorgos in the Aegean Sea. In response, authorities have shut down schools on Santorini and the nearby islands of Ios, Amorgos, and Anafi until at least Friday.
The European-Mediterranean Seismological Center reported a 4.7-magnitude tremor early Tuesday morning.
“Everything is closed. No one is working. The whole island is empty. We’re heading to Athens until we see how things develop here,” said Dori, an 18-year-old local resident before boarding the ferry.
Officials have arranged an additional flight on Tuesday to accommodate more evacuees.
Seismologists warn that the heightened activity could persist for days or even weeks. Authorities have urged people to avoid coastal areas due to landslide risks and to refrain from gathering indoors. Some hotels have even started draining their swimming pools after being advised that filled pools can weaken structural integrity.
Greece, situated at the intersection of the African and Eurasian tectonic plates, is one of Europe’s most seismically active regions, experiencing frequent earthquakes due to the plates’ ongoing movements.
