Earthquakes continue to rattle Greek island of Santorini with thousands evacuating

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Earthquakes as part of an ongoing swarm event continue to shake the Greek islands in the Aegean Sea, including the popular tourist destination of Santorini, officially known as Thira.

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake, the strongest one yet, shook the islands on Tuesday. Dozens of earthquakes have continued throughout the week in addition to the hundreds recorded last weekend.

Greece's Prime Minister and a team from the country's Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection held a news conference Wednesday morning to discuss the three unique threats that they are monitoring: the potential for volcanic activity at the Santorini volcano, the potential for volcanic activity in the active underwater volcano Kolumbo northeast of the island and ongoing seismic activity at the nearby Anydros fault line.

"We are moving towards a more favorable scenario. In any case, residents will continue to feel vibrations for the next period of time and should remain calm," said Costas Papazachos, professor of geophysics and seismology who spoke at the news conference. "The situation seems to be moving towards a better scenario." 

Officials said they are looking at options to mitigate landslide risks around Santorini and are considering programs to reduce the number of people allowed in high-risk areas.

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This photograph shows caution tapes placed to restrict access for tourists as a precaution due to recent seismic activities in Oia village on the Greek island of Santorini on February 5, 2025. Some 7,000 people have left the island, known for its spectacular cliffside views and dormant volcano, which has been hit by hundreds of tremors since January 24, 2025, officials said. (Photo by STRINGER/AFP via Getty Images)

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Greece's Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection and local fire departments have been meeting daily since the seismic activity first began.

While only about 20,000 people call the island home, more than 3.4 million tourists visited last year. 

Schools were closed this week, and people on the island were instructed to drain swimming pools, avoid large gatherings inside buildings and avoid abandoned buildings.

Greek news website protothema.gr reported people were sleeping in their cars during the seismic outbreak. Fire rescue personnel are being brought onto the island to respond to the earthquakes. 

Each morning after a night of shaking, hundreds of people have lined up to board ferries to leave the island. By Tuesday, Greek state media reported that more than 6,000 residents had left Santorini.

The Civil Protection warned against staying near the ports, including Ammoudi, Armeni, Korfou and the Old Port of Fira.

Officials said that if strong seismic shaking is detected, coastal areas could be evacuated. 

The U.S. Embassy in Greece is warning American travelers to avoid those areas of concern identified by the Greek government.

Earthquake swarm continues to intensify

According to the Civil Protection advisory, more than 200 earthquakes were measured over the weekend in the Anydros area between Thira and Amorgos. 

The shaking has continued, with earthquakes detected near Amorgos and Fira, the capital city of Santorini. Earthquake intensity increased on Monday and Tuesday, with the strongest quake reaching over magnitude 5. 

Dozens of earthquakes have continued to shake the islands throughout the week. 

Falling rocks from landslides caused by earthquake tremors quick up clouds of dust along the rocky cliff face on the Greek Island of Santorini on February 3, 2025. Fresh overnight tremors shook Greece's top tourist island Santorini, media reports said, prompting people to sleep outdoors and others to leave by plane or ferry. (Photo by Aris MESSINIS / AFP) (Photo by ARIS MESSINIS/AFP via Getty Images)

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Santorini was shaped by a volcanic eruption more than 3,500 years ago. The volcano remains active but has not erupted since 1950. 

"Santorini, therefore, was shaped by these geodynamic hazards and predominantly by volcanic risk, seismic risk, landslide risk and erosion," geology and natural disaster Professor Efthimios Lekkas said during a news conference Wednesday. 

However, experts say the earthquake swarm is not tied to volcanic activity. 

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Greek Seismologist Gerasimos Papadopoulos said the seismic activity is definitively tectonic and not volcanic. 

Papadopoulos wrote on Monday that new stronger earthquakes confirmed "that we are in an intense pre-seismic sequence," adding that these events can last up to four months.  

"The big question mark now is: was this the main earthquake? We are working intensively and may answer within the day. Hang in there!" Papadopoulos wrote on Wednesday after a magnitude 5.2 earthquake on Tuesday.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the Mediterranean region is seismically active because of the convergence of the African plate and the Eurasian plate. The highest rates of seismic activity are found in southern Greece, western Turkey and southern Italy.