More than 10,000 people left Santorini yesterday after a series of earthquakes shook the island, Kathimerini reported, BTA reports.
Among those who left are both locals and visitors. According to the latest census, the permanent residents of Santorini are 15,231 people, which means that the majority of them have decided to leave the island.
From Saturday to Tuesday afternoon, more than 50 earthquakes with a magnitude of between 4 and 5 on the Richter scale were registered, as well as hundreds of smaller earthquakes with a magnitude of between 3 and 4. The strongest earthquakes were with a magnitude of 5, 4.8 and 4.7, ANA-MPA notes.
“This is worse than 1956“, an elderly woman told Kathimerini, referring to the devastating 7.7-magnitude earthquake that shook the neighboring island of Amorgos at the time. “I lived through it. It shook us twice and that was it. We are more scared now – you expect a rock to fall at any moment.“
The steep cliffs characteristic of Santorini, Amorgos and the surrounding islands pose a risk of landslides. So far, the earthquakes have caused rockfalls, but no serious damage has been caused.
Local authorities have introduced additional preventive measures. Schools remain closed until Friday, hotels have been advised to empty their pools, and residents and tourists have been advised to avoid abandoned buildings and dangerous routes.
According to data from the University of Athens, from June 2024 to February 1, 2025, more than 2,500 earthquakes were recorded in the volcanic region of Santorini and Amorgos. However, Greek experts assure that the tremors are not related to the underwater volcano near Santorini. Its last eruption was in 1950, and its most powerful one was around 1600 BC, when the island took on its current appearance.