State of Emergency Declared on Santorini Amid Uptick in Earthquake Activity

A state of emergency has been declared on Santorini as hundreds of undersea earthquakes continue shaking the Greek island.

The announcement was made by the ministry of civil protection, according to Associated Press. With the emergency declaration now in place authorities will be able to access state resources.

The decision to declare an emergency on Santorini was made after officials registered a magnitude 5.2 tremor on the island, which is the most powerful such activity since the tremors began in late January. Over the past week, some 7,700 tremors have been registered, according to The Guardian.

At this point, numerous emergency services have been activated and are ready to respond, according to government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis.

“Fire departments, police, coast guard, armed forces, and emergency medical services have immediately reinforced Santorini and surrounding islands with additional personnel and specialized equipment,” Marinakis said, per Associated Press.

Amid all the earthquake activity residents and seasonal workers have begun fleeing the island, many headed for Greece’s mainland. At least 12,000 people have fled thus far.

Experts have been unable to confirm whether the tremors will lead to a more significant earthquake event.
The emergency declaration is expected to last until March 3.

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