Santorini, Greece (AP) – The schools were closed and the emergency teams were deployed on Monday on the Greek volcanic island of Santorini after a peak in seismic activity raised concerns about a potentially powerful earthquake.
Precautions have also been ordered from several neighboring Aegean Sea islands – all popular summer holiday destinations – after more than 200 underwater earthquakes have been recorded in the region in the last three days.
“These measures are precaution and the authorities will remain vigilant,” said the Minister of Civil Protection, Vasilis Kikilias, after a meeting of the emergency government in Athens. “We urge citizens to strictly comply with security recommendations to minimize risks.”
While Greek experts say that earthquakes, measuring up to magnitude 4.7, are not linked to the Santorini volcano, they recognize that the seismic activity scheme is a concern.
Government officials met scientists throughout the weekend and on Monday to assess the situation, while schools were closed on the neighboring islands of Amorgos, Anafi and iOS.
On Santorini, residents and visitors were advised to avoid large interior gatherings and areas where rock blades could occur, while hotels were responsible for draining swimming pools to reduce potential damage to building D ‘An earthquake.
The rescuers of the fire services that arrived on the island on Sunday installed yellow tents as a transfer zone inside a basketball court next to the main hospital on the island.
“We arrived last night, a team of rescuers of 26 members and a rescue dog,” said Brigadier for the firefighters Ioannis Billias.
Quakes continued to vibrate the island all night and Monday morning, a lot of more magnitude 4.0, and Billias said that many residents, including whole families, spent the night in their cars.
Santorinini in the shape of a crescent is a leading tourist destination with daily arrivals via commercial flights, ferries and cruise ships. The island attracts more than 3 million visitors a year to its laid lime villages, built along dramatic cliffs formed by a massive volcanic eruption over 3,500 years ago.
The eminent Greek seismologist Gerasimos Papadopoulos warned that the current earthquake sequence – displayed on living seismic cards as a growing group of points between the islands of Santorini, iOS, Amorgos and Anafi – could indicate a more important imminent event.
“All scenarios remain open,” wrote Papadopoulos in an online article. “The number of tremors has increased, the amplitudes have increased and the epicenters moved to the northeast. Although it is trectcones, not volcanic, the level of risk has increased. »»
In the main city of Santorini de Fira, local authorities have appointed gathering points for residents in preparation for potential evacuation, although mayor Nikos Zorzos highlighted the preventive nature of the measures.
“We are forced to make preparations. But being prepared for something does not mean that it will happen, “he said on a briefing on weekends. “Sometimes the way the situation is reported, these reports can contain exaggerations … so that people remain calm.”
