Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has encouraged residents of Santorini to “remain calm” after a surge in seismic activity on the island. His comments came after authorities warned against holding “large gatherings in enclosed spaces” on the popular tourist island, which is known for its whitewashed buildings , blue-domed churches, and shuttered schools on Monday.In the last 48 hours, the University of Athens’ Seismological Laboratory has reported over 200 earthquakes on several Greek islands. In recent days, we have witnessed nearby earthquakes with magnitudes of 4.3 and 3.9, and on Monday, we recorded tremors as powerful as 4.9 northeast of Santorini.
The country is attempting to manage the “intense geological phenomenon,” according to Mitsotakis, who has requested that authorities provide a “comprehensive report” on the matter so that everyone is fully informed of the extent of the seismic activity. He was speaking from Brussels during EU discussions.While the earthquakes are still happening, some residents of Santorini have already left the island by boat or airplane, and many others slept outside on Sunday night for fear of potential building damage. Santorini is situated on the Hellenic Volcanic Arc, a collection of volcanic islands formed by plate tectonics, although the last major eruption occurred in the 1950s.
Greek authorities emphasized that tectonic plate movements, not volcanic activity, were the source of the most recent earthquakes when seismic activity in the Santorini caldera, the volcanic basin around the island, showed signs of decline.Even though these earthquakes are thought to be minor, authorities have taken a variety of precautionary measures, such as asking ships to avoid the ports of Ammoudi and Fira, where large cruise ships often land. Schools also closed on the neighboring islands of Anafi, Ios, and Amorgos.Mitsotakis convened an emergency meeting with officials on Sunday, including Vassilis Kikilias, the minister of civil safety, and Efthimios Lekkas, the head of Greece’s earthquake preparedness and protection agency (OSAP). Following the meeting, Kikilias emphasized that the government is closely monitoring the situation and urged people to adhere to the recommendations of local authorities.
Local residents were advised to avoid routes where landslides may occur and to avoid abandoned buildings. There is still a chance of further intense seismic activity, even if the present tremors don’t seem to portend an eruption.Kostas Papazachos, a geophysics professor at Aristotle University in Thessaloniki, said the steps are intended to mitigate the impact of any larger earthquakes that could follow. He cautioned that if a larger earthquake occurred while many people were there, it may cause panic and fatalities.The South Aegean Regional Fire Department, on high alert, has dispatched rescue workers and the regional commander to Santorini. Even though there are just 15,500 people living on the island, millions of tourists visit there each year. The UK Foreign Office has issued an updated travel notice, advising British tourists to follow local authorities’ guidance.
