Santorini in emergency after the strongest earthquake in Days of Tremors

Cnn
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An emergency has been declared in Santorini after the strongest earthquake was recorded in days with almost constant trembling, which has almost emptied the famous Greek tourist garden for visitors and residents.

An earthquake with a size of 5.2 paved through Santorini on Wednesday night, the first to exceed 5.0 since the shaking began last week.

The Greek Civil Protection Ministry on Thursday placed the island during an emergency until March 3 to respond to the seismic activity.

About 11,000 people are believed to have fled the island, which attracts more than 3.4 million tourists a year and is home to approx. 20,000 permanent residents.

Greek authorities have arranged additional flights to help people escape the security of the mainland, but the evacuation effort was complicated on Wednesday, when ferries were not allowed to leave the ports due to high winds. Normal service was resumed by Thursday.

Santorini, who sits near the border of the massive African and Eurasian tectonic plates, often experiences seismic activity, but rarely so intensely so long. In addition to Santorini, the nearby islands of Amorgos and iOS have also been shaken.

Major damage has not yet been reported, but Greek authorities are taking precautions in front of a potential large -scale earthquake.

“The entire state mechanism has been activated and I would urge our citizens to cooperate with the authorities,” said Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis after a meeting with top officials on Wednesday.

Santorini owes his form to geological phenomena from millennia ago. The island is famous for its Caldera-one bowl-shaped crater caused by a volcanic eruption-which was formed by one of the largest known blasts in about 1600 BC.

Hundreds of trembling that has hit Santorini every few minutes for days, have had a size of about 3.0 and is considered “weak” earthquakes. Over 5.0 is considered Wednesday’s earthquake as “moderate.” It was followed by at least five earthquakes with a size of 4.0 and above, which is considered “light.”

Santorini’s latest large earthquake – with a 7.5 size – hit in 1956, killed at least 53 people and injured more than 100 others.