Powerful earthquake hits near Santorini after days of tremors

Powerful earthquake  hits near Santorini after days of tremors.
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A strong earthquake has  struck between the Greek islands of Amorgos and Santorini, after days of consecutive  tremors.
More than 11,000 people have already left Santorini,  including about 7,000 by ferry and 4,000 by  plane.
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck at  9:09 pm local time  (7:09 pm GMT) on Wednesday, making it the strongest in recent days. It is estimated to have  struck at a depth of  5 km.
It was followed by a  magnitude 4.7  earthquake southwest of Amorgos at 07:50 local time on Thursday, after 57 tremors were recorded between midnight and  06:30. So far, no major damage has been reported on the island, but authorities are taking  precautions and  preparing for a larger  quake.
Vasilis Karastathis, director of the  Geodynamics Institute, told ERTNews that  "seismicity continues at the same pace as in previous days,  intense."
"We have a fairly high number of earthquakes above  magnitude 4," he  said.
"However, we  cannot say that we see evidence that would lead to the  slow termination of a sequence." We are still  halfway there. "We have not seen any  clarity, any sign that  the sequence is heading towards  a retreat."
Santorini welcomes millions of tourists  every year, but it is currently  the low season,  which means that local residents and workers make up the majority of  evacuees. Map showing the Cyclades  islands in Greece and  the eight earthquakes  of magnitude  greater than 4.5  that have struck between the islands of Santorini, Ios, Amorgos, Anydros and  Anafi in the  past 24  hours.
Bad weather means  that the ferry from Santorini to  the port of Piraeus near Athens will not operate. The adverse conditions are expected to continue  in the coming  days.
Many travelers have been at  the port  of Santorini to board emergency ferry  lines that have been set up as many families want to leave the  island.
Schools on Santorini - and other  nearby islands including Anafi, Paros, Naxos and Mykonos - will remain closed until Friday, when authorities will  decide when they  will reopen. The island has been reinforced  by firefighters and medical personnel from Naxos, another  island.
All hospital  staff are  ready to help those  left on the  island, with all  holidays and  vacation days  canceled.
Ambulance units have also arrived to reinforce  services on the  island, and  assistance from the armed  forces is also expected.
According to the  plan of the  Ministry of  Health, if there is an  urgent need for personnel, the first thing that will happen  will be the transfer of doctors and nurses from other islands. In  case of increased  needs on Santorini, doctors from Athens will also be sent to the  island. A rescue telecommunications station  has been set up  in the municipality of Santorini, which will be activated in the event of a major earthquake and telecommunications  problems.
Vassilis Kikilias,  Minister of Climate and  Civil Protection, said  that fire units  specialized in natural disasters  have been sent to Santorini.  Special dog teams and a mobile operations  center have also been sent to the island, while helicopters are on standby in case of  an emergency.
Kikilias also said  that the coast guard and  the armed forces  will be available to  help vulnerable people who  want to  evacuate.
Earlier on Wednesday, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis  expressed optimism at a meeting of civil protection  experts. "The state trusts science and  scientists, and we have done this in other  crises as well," the prime minister  said.
"All plans have been implemented. Forces have been  deployed in Santorini and other islands,  because we are ready for any eventuality,"  Mitsotakis said.
"Let's continue like  this, in the hope that things will  improve and the phenomenon will  subside."
Mitsotakis concluded his statement  by calling on islanders to  "remain calm and cooperate with the  authorities." "I understand the fear of being  in Santorini, which is constantly  shaking," he added,  stressing that the situation  will be assessed  daily.
The Thira Chamber of Commerce  has asked in a letter to government ministries that businesses on the island be suspended and emergency support measures be taken in line with those  taken during  Covid-19.
"The consequences for the local economy are incalculable, central markets are  weakened and businesses are losing customers and  revenue," the letter  says.
"The island is  deserted after 11,000 permanent residents left  the island yesterday,  this figure is expected to  reach 14,000 by the end of this  week."
"Therefore, given that the local economy  has collapsed and the situation  continues to deteriorate, we believe that, especially for Santorini, a state of emergency should be  declared."
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Video: 'We can't take it  anymore' -  residents evacuate Santorini after days of tremors
Santorini  lies in what is known as the Hellenic Volcanic Arc - a chain of islands created by volcanoes - but the last major eruption was in the  1950s.
Greek authorities have said the recent tremors  have been linked to  the movement of tectonic  plates, not volcanic  activity. Scientists cannot  accurately predict the timing,  size, or location of  earthquakes.
But there are  parts of the world where they are more likely to  happen, which helps governments  prepare.
Earthquakes are the result of  the movement of tectonic plates in the  Earth's crust. Sometimes these plates  snap where they meet, called plate  boundaries or fault  lines.
Santorini and other Greek  islands are  located near such a  line.

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