FILE: A video shared from Greece shows thick, toxic smoke filling the sky outside Athens on Monday as a deadly wildfire raged while terrified residents fled for safety.
Greek officials are warning those on the popular tourist island destination of Santorini to stay alert in the coming days due to increasing seismic activity, which could mean a strong earthquake is possible.
Officials from Greece‘s Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection and the fire departments gathered on Sunday to discuss the current seismic threat to one of the country’s most popular destinations. While only about 20,000 people call the island home, more than 3.4 million tourists visited last year.
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Schools will remain closed on Monday, and people on the island are being instructed to drain swimming pools, avoid large gatherings inside buildings and stay away from abandoned buildings.
FILE: Tourists wait for the sunset in the village of Oia on the Greek island of Santorini on July 20, 2024. Like other popular tourist destinations, the Cycladic island perched on a volcano is approaching over-saturation. (Photo by Aris Oikonomou / AFP) (Photo by ARIS OIKONOMOU/AFP via Getty Images)
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Greek news website protothema.gr reported people were sleeping in their cars during the seismic outbreak.
The Civil Protection warned against staying near the ports, including Ammoudi, Armeni, Korfou, and the Old Port of Fira.
Officials said that if strong seismic shaking is detected, coastal areas could be evacuated.
According to the Civil Protection advisory, more than 200 earthquakes were measured in the Anydros area between Thira and Amorgos in the past two days.
The seismic activity continued on Sunday, with multiple earthquakes no stronger than magnitude 4.8, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
According to the USGS, the Mediterranean region is seismically active because of the convergence of the African plate and the Eurasian plate. The highest rates of seismic activity are found in southern Greece, western Turkey, and southern Italy.