Greece has declared a state of emergency on the island of Santorini as a series of earthquakes continues to impact residents and visitors.
According to the Santorini government, the declaration of the state of emergency will expedite the processes required to take immediate and effective measures to help tourists and residents. “The aim of this decision is to facilitate the coordination of relevant authorities and to promptly address issues related to seismic activity in the area,” the government said on social media.
The Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection held a meeting with experts in seismic activity to discuss the recent earthquakes. Costas Papazachos, Professor of Lithosphere Physics, Seismology and Applied Geophysics at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, said those on the island could expect to experience more earthquakes in the near future, as part of a larger pattern that occurs every few years on the volcanic island.
Papazachos said the seismic activity started on January 26, but the largest earthquakes have been occurring over the last two to three days in the Santorini area, with the largest reaching 5,1 magnitude on Wednesday night.
“It is natural that these risks manifest themselves periodically and of course we will deal in this specific case with the landslide risk,” said Ethimios Lekkas, Professor of Dynamic Tectonic, Applied Geology and Natural Disaster Management.
Lekkas identified areas of high risk for landslides. This included the port of Fira, Santorini’s old port, through which over two million people pass every day. The state of emergency has been put in place until March 3.
BBC reports that the island has been emptied of tourists, with over 11 000 people having recently left by boat or air.
