Emergency declared on second Greek quake-hit island
by AFP Staff Writers
Athens (AFP) Feb 12, 2025
A second Greek island, Amorgos, was placed in a state of emergency Wednesday with the south Aegean Sea still subject to thousands of mid-level quakes that have already forced most inhabitants to flee neighbouring Santorini.

The move by the country's civil protection authority -- mainly designed to speed up the release of government aid in case of need -- came as the area was hit by another barrage of up to 5.0 magnitude tremors early on Wednesday morning.

A brace of between 4.0 and 4.7 magnitude then hit around midday on Wednesday.

Athens University has so far recorded over 14,000 tremors between January 26 and February 9 at sea between Santorini, Amorgos, Ios and Anafi.

The activity has baffled scientists but has so far caused no damage or injuries.

The majority of Santorini's nearly 16,000 residents have left the island and schools have been shut until Friday.

Amorgos, which has fewer than 2,000 permanent inhabitants, is considered less at risk owing to its rocky terrain and less dense construction than Santorini.

Inspections at Amorgos have found no major damage to key buildings, local authorities said.

Santorini lies atop a dormant volcano which last erupted in 1950.

Scientists say that the region has not experienced seismic activity on this scale since records began in 1964.

Visiting Santorini on Friday, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said that volcanic activity in the area was "not unusual" and did not entail any "immediate, particular danger".

One of Greece's top travel destinations, Santorini attracted about 3.4 million visitors in 2023, with upwards of a million of those from cruise ships.

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