Thousands flee Santorini amid earthquake fears
Thousands of residents are evacuating the Greek island of Santorini following a series of earthquakes.
Some 6,000 people have left the island by ferry since Sunday, according to local media, with emergency flights scheduled to leave on Tuesday, News.Az reports, citing BBC.
More than 300 earthquakes have been recorded in the past 48 hours near the island - and some experts say tremors may continue for weeks. Authorities have closed schools for the entire week and warned against large indoor gatherings, but Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has urged calm.
Santorini is a popular tourist destination known for its whitewashed buildings, but most of those leaving are locals, as February is outside the peak tourist season.
Several tremors, measuring up to magnitude 4.7, were recorded north-east of Santorini early on Tuesday.
Though no major damage has been reported so far, emergency measures are being taken as a precaution.
Hundreds of people queued at a port in the early hours of Tuesday morning to board a ferry leaving for the mainland.
"Everything is closed. No-one works now. The whole island has emptied," an 18-year-old local resident told Reuters news agency before boarding the vessel.
In addition to 6,000 people who have left the island by ferry since Sunday, around 2,500 to 2,700 passengers will have flown from Santorini to Athens via plane on Monday and Tuesday, according to Aegean Airlines.
The carrier said it had added three emergency flights to its schedule, with space for hundreds of passengers, following a request from the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection.
Santorini is a small island with a population of just 15,500. It welcomes millions of tourists each year.
Prime Minister Mitsotakis said on Monday that Greece was working to manage "a very intense geological phenomenon".
Seismologists consider the recent tremors to be minor, but preventive measures have been put in place in case a larger quake occurs.
Emergency services have warned residents to leave the areas of Ammoudi, Armeni and the Old Port of Fira due to landslides.
Similar news
