Athens, Feb 6, (dpa/GNA) – The hundreds of minor and moderate tremors to shake Santorini over the past 12 days, have prompted more than a third of the island’s 16,000 residents to leave for the mainland, out of fear a major earthquake could soon strike, Greek media reported on Tuesday.
According to the Athens Institute for Geodynamics, there have been around 550 moderate tremors with strengths between 3 and 4.9 in the last three days alone. The many smaller quakes in the region are uncounted.
Earthquakes of this magnitude are not unusual on Santorini. They normally occur about once a month, according to seismologists quoted by the daily newspaper Kathimerini. However, many houses are built directly on the steep edges of the island crater.
With an accumulation of many moderate quakes, they could eventually slip away, say the experts.
For days, video footage from private individuals has been circulating on the internet, showing debris falling from the slopes and raising dust, with each quake.
Earthquakes of this intensity usually do not pose a danger to islanders, but the recent activity has put the popular tourist destination on high alert.
There has been rush for ferry and flight tickets, as residents seek safer ground. Airlines have set up special flights and shipping companies have sent additional ferries.
“I haven’t slept for days, the children and women are crying, there is an earthquake every five minutes,” a man who had managed to get a seat on a Blue Star ferry to Athens told a Greek broadcaster.
Greek seismologists are anticipating a larger quake to strike at some point, likely between a magnitude of 5.5 and 6. In this range, the dangers are still relatively low; it is mainly poorly built houses that are at risk, they say.
An earthquake measuring magnitude-7 or higher could cause widespread damage, however.
“Never before have we seen a phenomenon of so many earthquakes in such a short time,” geology professor Evi Nomikou told the news channel Skai.
The Greek Seismological Service (OASP) says the quakes could continue for several days or even weeks. “The peculiarity of the current seismic activity is that so far, no quake has been observed that could be described as the main quake,” OASP head Efthimis Lekkas told the media.
Schools are to remain closed until further notice, not only on Santorini but also on the islands of Anafi, Ios and Amorgos in the earthquake region. Supermarkets, shops, businesses and tavernas are mostly open.
GNA