Greek authorities deployed special forces and rescue teams to Santorini on Sunday after hundreds of seismic tremors struck the popular tourist island, prompting tsunami concerns.
Civil protection officials ordered schools closed on Monday and advised residents to avoid shorelines and derelict buildings, empty swimming pools and refrain from gathering in large numbers in enclosed spaces.
More than 200 tremors were recorded over 48 hours, with many measuring between 4 and 4.5 on the Richter scale. The strongest tremor was detected in waters between Santorini and Amorgos, experts said.
“Nothing can be ruled out,” said Kostas Papazachos, professor of geophysics at Thessaloniki’s Aristotle University, speaking to state broadcaster ERT. “And that’s why precautionary measures are being put in place, precisely to limit the impact of a stronger earthquake.”
Rescue teams pitched tents in elevated areas on basketball courts and in car parks across Santorini by Sunday evening. Similar measures were implemented on neighbouring Amorgos and the islets of Ios and Anafi.
Ferry companies reported an increase in foreign workers departing the island for the port of Piraeus. The UK government updated its travel advisory to reflect guidance from the Greek civil protection ministry.
Santorini, which attracted an estimated 3.5 million tourists last year, was the site of one of the largest volcanic eruptions in recorded history. Experts emphasised that the current tremors were triggered by tectonic rather than volcanic activity.
Seismologist Gerasimos Papadopoulos said the heightened activity had been recorded “in the sea at significant distances from the islands”, which he described as “fortunate”, though he warned that “everything is possible”.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called a cabinet meeting on Sunday, attended by military leaders, to discuss additional protective measures. Greece, which sits on multiple faultlines, previously experienced a devastating earthquake exceeding seven on the Richter scale in 1956, which triggered a tsunami on Santorini.
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