Thousands Flee Greek Island as Earthquakes Strike Santorini.
Ferry boats and planes carried 8,500 people from Santorini this week amid hundreds of earthquakes. Local media reported 6,000 residents left by sea since Sunday, with emergency flights adding 2,500 more departures.
Scientists recorded over 300 earthquakes near the island in 48 hours. Several tremors reached magnitude 4.7 early Tuesday. Officials closed schools and warned against indoor gatherings.
"Everything is closed. No-one works. The island has emptied," an 18-year-old resident told Reuters at the port.
Aegean Airlines added three emergency flights after a request from Greece's Civil Protection Ministry. The carrier flew thousands to Athens on Monday and Tuesday.
Tour guide Kostas Sakavaras left with his family on Monday. "We considered it a better choice to come to the mainland as a precaution," he told BBC News. He described the quakes' sound as "the most scary part."
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called for calm as Greece managed "a very intense geological phenomenon." Experts say the tremors might continue for weeks.
Emergency crews set up medical tents across the island. Officials warned residents to avoid Ammoudi, Armenia, and the Old Port of Fira due to landslide risks. The South Aegean Regional Fire Department remains on alert.
Santorini, home to 15,500 people, sits on the Hellenic Volcanic Arc. Authorities said tectonic movements, not volcanic activity, caused the recent quakes. The island's last major eruption occurred in the 1950s.
February marks off-season for the tourist destination, known for its white buildings. Most evacuees were residents rather than visitors.
Ferry boats and planes carried 8,500 people from Santorini this week amid hundreds of earthquakes. Local media reported 6,000 residents left by sea since Sunday, with emergency flights adding 2,500 more departures.
Scientists recorded over 300 earthquakes near the island in 48 hours. Several tremors reached magnitude 4.7 early Tuesday. Officials closed schools and warned against indoor gatherings.
"Everything is closed. No-one works. The island has emptied," an 18-year-old resident told Reuters at the port.
Aegean Airlines added three emergency flights after a request from Greece's Civil Protection Ministry. The carrier flew thousands to Athens on Monday and Tuesday.
Tour guide Kostas Sakavaras left with his family on Monday. "We considered it a better choice to come to the mainland as a precaution," he told BBC News. He described the quakes' sound as "the most scary part."
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called for calm as Greece managed "a very intense geological phenomenon." Experts say the tremors might continue for weeks.
Emergency crews set up medical tents across the island. Officials warned residents to avoid Ammoudi, Armenia, and the Old Port of Fira due to landslide risks. The South Aegean Regional Fire Department remains on alert.
Santorini, home to 15,500 people, sits on the Hellenic Volcanic Arc. Authorities said tectonic movements, not volcanic activity, caused the recent quakes. The island's last major eruption occurred in the 1950s.
February marks off-season for the tourist destination, known for its white buildings. Most evacuees were residents rather than visitors.
