The Greek government announced a state of emergency in the island of Santorini Wednesday after almost an entire week of continuous undersea earthquakes. The strongest quake occurred late Wednesday at 5.2 magnitude. It is also the most powerful recorded since January 31, when the first seismic activity happened.
The earthquake epicenters are mainly located between the islands of Santorini, Anafi, Amorgos, and Ios. Due to ongoing tremors, thousands of seasonal workers and residents have evacuated to the Greek mainland via ferry.
Government’s Emergency Response
Associated Press reported that various emergency services are responding to Santorini. A government official said, “Fire departments, police, coast guard, armed forces, and emergency medical services have immediately reinforced Santorini and surrounding islands with additional personnel and specialized equipment.”.
Experts have cleared the rumoured speculation that the shockwaves were caused by volcanic activities in the Aegean Sea. However, scientists are not optimistic concerning the possibility of a more powerful earthquake. As reported by Vassilis K. Karastathis, a seismologist and director of research at the National Observatory of Athens, “We are not yet in a position to say that we are seeing any evidence that would lead to the sequence slowly coming to a conclusion. We are still somewhere in the middle of the road. We haven’t seen any easing, any sign that it’s heading towards a regression.
