Athens: Since Friday, more than 200 earthquakes have occurred on Greece's famous island of Santorini and surrounding areas. Authorities have closed schools, deployed rescue teams, and instructed residents to evacuate swimming pools. However, experts say that these tremors are not caused by the volcano of Santorini, which gave rise to one of the biggest explosions in history. The strongest tremor occurred on Sunday at 3:55 p.m., with a magnitude of 4.6. Its epicenter was at a depth of 14 km.
There were a few more tremors with a magnitude of more than 4 and dozens with a magnitude of 3. No damage or casualties has been reported so far. Officials from the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection and the Fire Brigade Department held daily meetings. They decided to close schools on Santorini as well as the neighboring islands of Amorgos, Anafi, and Ios. After the meeting on Sunday, officials advised residents and hotel owners to empty swimming pools so that the amount of water does not destabilize buildings in the event of a major earthquake.
Greece on alert for major earthquake
Continuing tremors have raised concerns that this could be a warning of a major earthquake. A meeting with the head of Greece's armed forces and other officials was scheduled at the Prime Minister's Office on Sunday evening. The Fire Brigade Department sent a contingent of rescuers with a sniffer dog on Saturday. More forces were sent on Sunday as a precaution. Rescue workers have set up tents in open fields. The Santorini volcano produced one of the largest eruptions in history in around 1600 BC. The eruption devastated the island, buried a city,y and triggered earthquakes and tsunamis that were felt as far as Crete and Egypt.
Advice is given to residents
Islanders have been advised to avoid large open-air events and to stay away from rocks that could fall when traveling around the island. All four islands have cliffs. In the case of Santorini, a large part of the main city is built close to the cliff. Experts say it is impossible to predict whether a major earthquake could occur, but they believe the area could potentially produce a magnitude 6 earthquake.
