Quakes continue to rock multiple islands in Greece more than three days after the government declared a state of emergency for tourist hotspot Santorini.
[UPDATED 10 FEB 2025]
The state of emergency was declared after a 5.1 magnitude tremor struck mid-last week, the strongest recorded since the swarm of quakes started around 10 days ago. Greek authorities estimate thousands of earthquakes have struck the region in that time.
According to the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), seismic activity was detected across the Aegean Sea, affecting the islands of Santorini, Ios, Amorgos and Anafi.
“A state of emergency has been declared for Santorini until 1 March, following a series of earthquakes around the islands of Santorini, Ios, Amorgos and Anafi in the Aegean Sea,” DFAT stated in an update on its Smartraveller website on Friday.
“Authorities are on alert, and additional emergency management personnel have been deployed. Airlines and ferry companies have added extra departures to mainland Greece.
“If you’re in the area, monitor the media and follow the advice of local authorities.”
Despite the warnings, the department continues to advise Australians to “Exercise normal safety precautions in Greece” overall.
“Information on national disaster incidents and severe weather is posted by local authorities and @112Greece on social media,” it added.
“Alert messages may be sent by local authorities to mobile numbers advising of critical incidents. Alerts are posted in Greek and sometimes in English. For updated information on natural disasters, see civilprotection.gov.gr.”
According to the BBC, Santorini, a hugely popular destination, is now nearly devoid of tourists, as over 11,000 people have fled by boat and plane since the earthquake tremors have worsened.
With the island in its low season, most of those evacuated are residents and workers, not the usual throngs of tourists. However, many travellers are still at Santorini’s port, waiting for emergency ferries.
New York tourist Catherine Wilson, who had been in Santorini for three days, said “The vibe has definitely changed since the earthquake [Wednesday]”, The Guardian reported.
“For the first time you could see locals, like the people running my hotel, being unnerved by it all. Definitely, there’s a fear about this having a long term impact on tourism.”
According to the BBC, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said earlier in the week that “All plans have been implemented”.
“Forces have been moved to Santorini and the other islands, so that we are ready for any eventuality,” he said, asking islanders to “stay calm and cooperate with the authorities”.
With Greece in an active seismic zone, quakes aren’t uncommon. But it is the nature of the earthquake swarm that has authorities concerned.
Geodynamic Institute Director Vasilis Karastathis told Greek broadcaster ERT News that “seismicity continues at the same pace as in previous days, intense”.
“We have a fairly high number of earthquakes with magnitudes above 4,” he remarked.
“We are still in the middle of the road. We have not seen any thinning, any sign that it is heading towards retreat.”
Dr Dee Ninis, an Earthquake Geologist at Melbourne’s Monash School of Earth, Atmosphere & Environment, said that “In terms of damage, there has been minor damage to vulnerable buildings and several rock falls along coastal cliffs”.
“In a ‘swarm’, we see multiple similar-sized earthquakes taking place over days, weeks, or even months. These sequences behave differently and there’s no single, stand-out event,” she stated.
“It’s really hard to predict exactly what will happen next from this earthquake swarm. Global observations of earthquakes tells us that only about 5 per cent of earthquakes are foreshocks to larger earthquakes.
“That said, there still remains a possibility that a larger and potentially more damaging earthquake could take place here in the future.”
