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.
AMORGOS, Greece – A magnitude 5.2 earthquake shook the Greek Aegean islands on Sunday, beginning another week of what geologists are calling an extended earthquake swarm that has sent tourists and residents fleeing.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the earthquake was recorded 17 miles (28 kilometers) west-southwest of the island of Amorgos around 9:05 p.m. local time (2:05 p.m. ET). Shortly after, several more quakes of magnitude 4 or greater were also recorded off the coast of Santorini’s capital, Fira.
The latest episodes of shaking come as scientists and Greek Civil Protection officials have been monitoring an ongoing earthquake swarm between the islands of Santorini and Amorgos since Feb. 1. A Seismic Risk Assessment Committee continues to meet daily and provide updates.
Sunday’s earthquake marks the strongest since a magnitude 5.3 was recorded last week. Scientists were working to determine if that quake was the main earthquake in the sequence when the latest quake over magnitude 5 happened.
Thousands of earthquakes between magnitudes 3 and 5 have rocked the islands and prompted warnings for residents to avoid large buildings and empty their swimming pools. Schools were closed throughout the week.
“Our thoughts these days are on Santorini and Amorgos which are being tested by an extremely complex and complicated geological phenomenon as described by scientists. The number alone – more than 7,700 earthquakes – warrants fear and disturbance,” Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in a statement Saturday.
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Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (L) looks at a Golden Retriever rescue dog as he listens to explanations during his visit at the rescue team of the Greek firefighting department in the town of Fira on the Aegean island of Santorini on February 7, 2025. Photo by STRINGER/AFP via Getty Images) ( )
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Residents and tourists scramble to leave Greek island on ferries and planes due to ongoing seismic activity in Santorini, Greece on February 06, 2025. Greece declared a state of emergency for Santorini, the focal point of ongoing seismic activity in the southern Aegean Sea since Feb. 1. (Photo by John Liakos/Anadolu via Getty Images) ( )
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This photograph shows caution tapes placed to restrict access for tourists as a precaution due to recent seismic activities in Oia village on the Greek island of Santorini on February 5, 2025. Some 7,000 people have left the island, known for its spectacular cliffside views and dormant volcano, which has been hit by hundreds of tremors since January 24, 2025, officials said. (Photo by STRINGER/AFP via Getty Images) ( )
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A photo shows a view of the old port and the town of Fira on the Greek Island of Santorini, in the Agean Sea, on February 4, 2025. Fresh overnight tremors shook Greece’s top tourist island Santorini, media reports said, prompting people to sleep outdoors and others to leave by plane or ferry. (Photo by Aris MESSINIS / AFP) (Photo by ARIS MESSINIS/AFP via Getty Images) ( )
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PIRAEUS, GREECE – FEBRUARY 04: People fleeing Santorini island disembark a ferry at the port of Piraeus as earthquake swarm worries Greek experts, in Piraeus, Greece, on February 3, 2025. (Photo by Costas Baltas/Anadolu via Getty Images) ( )
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Tents set up as a precaution on a basketball court near the Santorini General Hospital following the intense seismic activity of recent days and the fear of a larger earthquake or the awakening of the island’s volcano on February 3, 2025. (Photo by STRINGER / SOOC / SOOC via AFP) (Photo by STRINGER/SOOC/AFP via Getty Images) ( )
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Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Santorini over the weekend during a continued seismic outbreak on the islands. (Greek government)
Over the weekend, Mitsotakis visited Santorini, where a mobile operations center is set up to respond to the ongoing seismic activity.
Last week, Greek state media reported more than 6,000 residents evacuated Santorini amid the ongoing shaking.
Information in this article was obtained using Google Translate.