Greek authorities have warned of an increase in seismic activity around the Aegean tourist island of Santorini, advising people to avoid four ports, empty their pools, refrain from gathering in indoor spaces and shut schools.
More than 200 tremors between 3 and 4.9 on the Richter scale have been registered since Friday, January 31, between the volcanic islands of Santorini and Amorgos, the civil protection ministry said in a statement on Sunday, citing experts tasked with assessing earthquake risks and monitoring Greece's volcanic arc.
The experts, according to the ministry, have concluded that the tremors are not linked with volcanic activity and have proposed precautionary measures, including the February 3 school closures, which have been extended to the islands of Amorgos, Ios and Anafi.
They have urged people on Santorini to stay away from the small ports of Ammoudi, Armeni, Korfos and the harbour of Fira, which serves mainly cruise ships. Many of Santorini's ports are surrounded by sheer rock faces.
Authorities have also sent a team of rescuers with a sniffer dog and drones to Santorini, where they set up tents in a basketball court next to the island’s main hospital as a staging area. Push alerts have been sent to cellphones warning people to stay away from areas where rock slides could occur, and banning access to some coastal areas.
In Athens, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis chaired an emergency meeting on the issue, as Santorini authorities prepared for a potential evacuation.
Tents were set up in an outdoor stadium, police and the fire brigade were on alert and special disaster response units were on standby. Santorini, with whitewashed buildings clinging to its steep cliffs and black-sand beaches, is visited by about three million people annually.
Greece sits on multiple fault lines and is often rattled by earthquakes. The vast majority cause no injuries and little or no damage, but the country has also seen deadly ones. Earthquakes can’t be predicted, but authorities are taking measures as a precaution.
One of the largest volcanic eruptions in history, around 1600 BCE, formed the island in its current shape. The last eruption in the area occurred in 1950.
(With inputs from multiple news sources)