Over 10,000 People Flee Greek Island of Santorini Amid Wave of Earthquakes – Schools Closed, Travel Restricted
More than 10,000 people have fled the island of Santorini by Tuesday evening due to an endless series of earthquakes. From Saturday to Tuesday afternoon, more than 50 aftershocks with a magnitude of at least 4 were registered on the Greek islands in the Aegean Sea, and hundreds more with a magnitude of 3 to 4. According to the latest census, there are 15,231 permanent residents of Santorini, so a large percentage of them decided to leave rather than live with the incessant aftershocks.
This series of earthquakes is called a ‘seismic swarm’. It can last for weeks before eventually tapering off, Santorini's mayor told the Associated Press on Tuesday.
He paused during the conversation to smile as new tremors shook things on his desk.
‘This phenomenon can manifest itself in the form of small earthquakes or one, slightly stronger, followed by a gradual subsidence,’ Mayor Nikos Zorzos said, adding that he was cautiously optimistic after speaking to seismologists who described the swarm as a series of tremors of similar magnitude occurring in clusters.
Thousands of residents and seasonal workers have fled the Cyclades. Operators of ferries and commercial flights added services to cater for departures. More Greek islands closed schools the day before on Tuesday.
Santorini cancelled public events, restricted travel to the island and banned construction work in some areas. The aftershocks caused cracks in some old buildings, but there were no injuries.
