# Santorini evacuations grow as more than 200 earthquakes rattle the island
Event date: 2025-02-03
Earthquake fears have driven residents, tourists and workers to leave Santorini after more than 200 undersea tremors shook the island over the weekend, according to the supplied Guardian report. By Monday, airlines and ferry companies were adding capacity as people scrambled to get off the island. The immediate effect was not destruction but a rush to exit Greece's best-known island destination before the situation worsened.
The report says Aegean Airlines doubled flights from Athens to Santorini and those added seats sold out within seconds. Ferry operators also put on extra services as demand surged. Many people slept outside or in their cars after fresh overnight quakes, showing how fear can reshape behavior even before any major structural damage is confirmed. One tourist told a Greek daily that she cried all night because she did not know what to do.
The largest quake yet measured 4.8 on the Richter scale, but seismologists warned that the sequence was not over. Dr. Gerassimos Papadopoulos said the tremors had increased in number and magnitude, while Prof. Manolis Skordylis said a fault line may have been activated and that the main earthquake might still be ahead. Authorities also reported land and rockslides, adding to the sense that the island remained unstable.
Greece's civil protection ministry closed schools on Santorini and on nearby islands including Ios, Anafi and Amorgos. Residents were advised to avoid derelict buildings, large enclosed gatherings, and the shoreline in case of a tsunami. Emergency crews, special forces, rescue teams and drone handlers were dispatched, and officials said the army had not been ruled out. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis urged islanders to remain calm and follow guidance.
The setting makes the event especially sensitive. Santorini is a global tourist destination, and the source says about 3.5 million visitors came last year. Greece also has vivid memories of the 1956 Amorgos-Santorini earthquake and tsunami. The verified picture is a broad alert: a major tourist island is being evacuated and monitored because a barrage of tremors may not be over yet.
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