Aftershocks hit Santorini and surrounding islands
Santorini has been hit by the most powerful 5.3 magnitude earthquake that hits Greek islands during recent regional seismic activity.
The tremor was felt in Athens on Monday evening, measuring a depth of focus of 17km (10.6 miles).
Residents of the nearby island Amorgos are still on high alert after the latest tremor after a 5.0 medium earthquake between the islands on Sunday evening.
Tourist hotspots have been shaking due to seismic activity since January, with over 12,800 earthquakes detected by the University of Athens Earthquake Research Institute.
Some residents have seen tourists patrol dangerous areas to prevent them from taking photos on the cliffs.
The tremors and the frequency and intensity of experts have led to landslides occurring in many parts of Santorini, and experts have not ruled out major earthquakes.
Seismicologists were optimistic about the earthquake strength starting to sink, but are worried that it is getting worse now.
An emergency will be in place in Santorini until at least March 3rd.
Before the Sunday earthquake there were three small ones above 4.0, and three on Monday morning were above 4.0.
The inspections did not damage the Santorini or Amorgos buildings.
No injuries have been reported as a result of the earthquake, which has numbered thousands since January 26th, but more than 11,000 have left the island.
Schools will remain closed on Santorini, Amorgos and several other islands on Monday and Tuesday.
A team of special disaster response units will set out for Patras’ Amorgos, equipped with special earthquake rescue vehicles, and the technical team is expected to inspect the island’s power network.
Costas Papazakos, a professor of seismology at Aristotle University in Thessaloniki, told Greek broadcaster ERT that authorities must allow most or all of February to continue.
“I hope we move gradually towards de-escalation,” he said.
“We need to be a little patient and hope that the phenomenon will start to settle in a few weeks.”
He said the possibility of a major earthquake has not been completely ruled out.
Meanwhile, the Viking Star, a cruise ship with 893 passengers and 470 crew members, was docked early Monday morning at the port of Suda on Crete.
It was to be the first cruise ship of the season at Santorini. The ship has rerouteed to avoid overcrowding of cable cars in Santorini, primarily during seismic activity.
The strongest tremor to date was 5.2 magnitude on Thursday. 6 or higher is considered severe.
Greece is one of Europe’s most earthquake-prone countries, but scientists are confused by the current “clusters” of earthquakes that are not associated with major shocks.
Santorini is located in what is known as the Greek volcanic arc, a chain of islands created by volcanoes, but the last major eruption was in the 1950s.
Greek authorities say the recent tremors are linked to tectonic plate movements rather than volcanic activity.
Scientists cannot predict the exact timing, size, or location of an earthquake.
From January 26th to February 8th, 2025, the University of Athens Seismic Research Institute (SL) registered over 12,800 earthquakes in the Santorini Mooso Goszone.
Additional reports by Ruth Comerford.