Greek officials on high alert as tourist hotspot Santorini rattled by 200 earthquakes

Greek officials are warning those on the popular tourist island destination of Santorini to stay alert in the coming days due to increasing seismic activity, which could mean a strong earthquake is imminent.Officials from Greece’s Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection and the fire departments are gathering daily to discuss the current seismic threat to one of the country’s most popular destinations.While only about 20,000 people call the island home, more than 3.4 million tourists visited last year. Schools will remain closed on Monday, and people on the island are being instructed to drain swimming pools, avoid large gatherings inside buildings and stay away from abandoned buildings.Greek news website protothema.gr reported people were sleeping in their cars during the seismic outbreak.

Fire rescue personnel are being brought onto the island to respond to the earthquakes. On Monday, after a night of shaking, hundreds of people lined up, waiting on ferries to leave the island.The Civil Protection warned against staying near the ports, including Ammoudi, Armeni, Korfou and the Old Port of Fira.Officials said that if strong seismic shaking is detected, coastal areas could be evacuated. According to the Civil Protection advisory, more than 200 earthquakes were measured in the Anydros area between Thira and Amorgos in the past two days.On Monday, the shaking continued, with earthquakes detected near Amorgos and Fira, the capital city of Santorini.Earthquake intensity increased, with the strongest quake reaching over magnitude 5. Santorini was shaped by a volcanic eruption more than 3,500 years ago.

The volcano remains active but has not erupted since 1950. However, experts warn the earthquake swarm is not tied to volcanic activity. Greek Seismologist Gerasimos Papadopoulos said the seismic activity is definitively tectonic and not volcanic. Papadopoulos wrote on Monday that new stronger earthquakes confirmed “that we are in an intense...