Tourists evacuate Santorini, Greece amid earthquake fears

Australians in Santorini have been advised to be on alert after the paradise island was hit by more than 750 earthquakes in 12 days sparking mass evacuations.

Thousands of people fled the Greek island of Santorini by sea and air for a third day on Tuesday, as more earthquakes shook the top travel destination.

Some 7000 people have left the island, known for its spectacular cliffside views and dormant volcano, which has been hit by hundreds of tremors since last week, officials said.

One quake with a magnitude of 4.9 hit early Tuesday and hours later was followed by a 5.0-magnitude tremor.

Some 750 earthquakes have shaken the island and the surrounding 1000sq/km since January 24, according to Greek monitors.

The Australian Embassy in Greece posted a message advising: “Australians in the area should monitor the media and follow the advice of local authorities.”

An empty swimming pool is seen in a group of clifftop buildings in the town of Oia on the earthquake-struck island of Santorini, Greece. Picture: AP

A woman from China looks on from a caldera at Firostefani, as in the background stands the island of Therasia. Picture: AP

Passengers board a ferry bound for the Greek mainland, in the earthquake-struck island of Santorini. Picture: AP

No injuries or damage have been reported on Santorini and the neighbouring islands of Anafi, Ios and Amorgos however.

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

“This is the first time this is happening, we have not seen it before,” Athanassios Ganas, research director at the national observatory’s institute of geodynamics, told state TV ERT.

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He noted that the area had been hit with over 40 earthquakes with a magnitude of more than 4.0 in the past 72 hours.

Santorini lies atop a volcano which last erupted in 1950 – but an experts’ committee on Monday said the current phenomenon was “not linked to volcanic activity.”
According to the Greek coastguard, over 5700 people have left the island by ferry since Sunday.

Passengers begin to board a ferry to the Athens port of Piraeus on February 4, 2025 in Santorini Island, Greece. Picture: Getty Images

Cars queue to embark a ferry as people leave on the Greek Island of Santorini. Picture: AFP

Passengers begin to board a ferry to the Athens port of Piraeus in Santorini Island, Greece. Picture: Getty Images

Aegean Airlines said it had flown nearly 1300 people out of Santorini on Monday, with another eight flights able to carry 1400 passengers scheduled for Tuesday.

Ferry services to Santorini have also been increased.

Schools on all four islands have been shut as a precaution until Friday, prompting many people with children to leave until the quake scare eases.

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Some tourists on the island say they are not overly concerned.

“I’m not so worried about the earthquake or volcano because I came from Tokyo,” said Wataru Saito, a 43-year-old economist who spent a day on the island.

He noted that the tremor levels in Santorini are negligible compared to the earthquakes experienced in Japan.

Roger Beauchamp from Arizona called the tremors “tiny.”

“We’ve been feeling them all day, little light ones. So we’re not afraid of them,” he told AFP.

A passenger sits on the dock in Santorini while waiting for a ferry bound for the Greek mainland. Picture: AP

The head of Greece’s earthquake planning and protection authority, Efthymios Lekkas, has said that a major earthquake of 6.0 magnitude was unlikely.

“The residents of Santorini should feel safe. There must not be panic,” he told Mega TV on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Monday also appealed for calm, whilst admitting that the phenomenon is “very intense”.

Santorini attracted about 3.4 million visitors in 2023.

European travel agents contacted by AFP said foreign visitors to Santorini at this time of year were minimal, with more bookings expected in the spring.

Ted Stathis, who runs a catamaran company and a sushi restaurant, said he expected the disruption to “blow over soon.”

“I have to admit, it’s something out of the ordinary,” the 54-year-old said.

“I mean, we have had tremors throughout the years, but sporadically. These are just many, many concentrated.”

“As long as they start subsiding, we should be in the clear,” Stathis said, noting that most of his reservations start later this month.

– with Agence France-Presse (AFP)

Originally published as Tourists evacuate Santorini, Greece amid earthquake fears