It probably won’t shock you to learn that Santorini is Greece’s most popular island, famous for the classic white-washed buildings, cobalt blue domes and bunches of bright pink bougainvillea which populate its dramatic, volcanic cliffside.
It welcomes around 3 million visitors per year, but between January 26 and February 8, the Seismology Laboratory of the University of Athens has registered a staggering 12,800 earthquakes in the Santorini-Amorgos zone, the strongest of these was last night at a magnitude of 5.3.
While measures being taken on the island are precautionary, the escalating magnitude of these tremors is understandably worrying news if you have a trip booked to Santorini, so here is everything you need to know.
Where are the earthquake tremors in Greece?
Thousands of undersea tremors have been registered northeast of the Greek island of Santorini since January 26, many with a magnitude of at least 4, but the strongest so far was a 5.3 quake which was registered last night (February 10), according to the BBC.
The island sits on the Hellenic Volcanic Arc – a chain of islands created by the area’s tectonic plates – and in the first couple of days of this seismic activity, locals said that tremors were felt as frequently as every 10 to 20 seconds. Now, the quakes have been felt as far as Athens, Crete and even Türkiye.
On Thursday February 6, the island was placed under a state of emergency, and that will remain in place until March 3 at the earliest.
‘Let’s hope that we will slowly move towards a gradual de-escalation,’ said Kostas Papazachos, a professor of seismology at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, ‘We will have to be a little patient and see. Let’s hope that after a couple of weeks the phenomenon will start to subside.’
Is it safe to travel to Santorini?
If you’re headed to Santorini, there are some local precautions currently in place that you should bear in mind.
Residents and visitors have been warned to avoid large indoor gatherings where rock slides occur, and lots of hotels have been instructed to drain their pools to reduce potential quake damage. Schools on Santorini, Amorgos and several other islands remain closed, and Santorini has been reinforced with firefighters and medical staff from Naxos, and there are plans in place to call in doctors and nurses from other islands and even Athens if needed.
It’s thought that at least 11,000 residents have left the island since February 2, and several landslides have occurred across Santorini, but no injuries have been reported as a result of the earthquakes.
Experts continue to be puzzled by the clusters of tremors which are yet to amount to a significant quake (a magnitude of 6 or above is considered severe), but according to euronews, the ‘quake storm’ could continue for weeks or even months.
‘These measures are precautionary, and authorities will remain vigilant,’ Civil Protection Minister Vasilis Kikilias said, according to the Independent, ‘We urge citizens to strictly adhere to safety recommendations to minimize risk.’
What’s the UK Foreign Office saying?
The FCDO’s safety and security page reads: ‘The area around the Cycladic islands of Santorini (Thira), Anafi, Ios and Amorgos, is currently experiencing frequent earthquakes which may continue for several weeks. The Greek authorities advised people in those areas not to attend large indoors gatherings, to avoid old or abandoned buildings and the ports of Amoudi, Armeni, Korfos and Old Port (Paleos Limenas) in the area of Fira and to choose safe routes when travelling, particularly in areas where the landslide risk is high. In case of a strong tremor, people should immediately depart coastal areas.’
It also states that you should follow local travel advice and contact the Greek Ministry of Civil Protection for more info on what to do during an earthquake.
What are your rights if you’ve booked a trip to Santorini?
Given the FCDO has not advised against travelling to Santorini or the surrounding islands, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to cancel your trip without any penalties. It’s best to contact your transport and accommodation providers directly, to see if anything can be done and to stay up to date with the status of your journey.
When was the last earthquake in Santorini?
Minor earthquakes are common in Santorini, but the last major one took place back in 1956 when 53 people died, 100 were injured, 529 houses were destroyed and more than 3,000 were damaged – it registered at 7.7 on the Richter scale.
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