We’re not afraid’: Santorini residents brave tremors to stay put

“I’m not afraid at all,” said the Belgian-born woman, who has lived on the volcanic island for 27 years.

“For 500 years, this house has lived through earthquakes and volcanic eruptions and it’s still standing,” she told AFP on Wednesday, noting that part of the building that she rents to tourists dates from 1720.

“So there’s no reason why this should change,” she added.

Since Sunday, more than 7,000 people have left Santorini, known for its spectacular cliffside views and dormant volcano, by sea and air in the wake of hundreds of tremors that have baffled experts.

Since February 1 the area near the islands of Santorini, Amorgos, Anafi and Ios has been hit by 460 earthquakes with a magnitude greater than 3.0, said the Athens Geodynamic Institute on Wednesday.

One quake with a magnitude of 4.9 hit early on Tuesday, followed by a 5.0-magnitude tremor hours later — just enough to count as “moderate”.

No injuries or damage have been reported.

But rescue teams have been sent to the area as a precaution, and additional seismic sensors have been deployed.

The head of Greece’s earthquake planning and protection authority, Efthymios Lekkas, warned there were five areas at risk of possible rockslides on Santorini, including the ports of Fira and Athinios.

Metakides said there are “at least 20 tremors a day, but not very big ones”.

“We feel them, but nothing has fallen,” she said.

In the island capital of Fira, the streets were deserted, even by the winter off-season’s standards. In the cliffside village of Oia, renowned for its breathtaking views of the sunset, only the cats remained.

Many residents among the population of some 15,500 have left the island, complaining that the frequency of the tremors makes even sleeping difficult.

But like Metakides, Santorini municipal worker Panagiotis Hatzigeorgiou said he was philosophical about staying behind.

– ‘Why worry?’ –

“Why should I worry? If something is to happen to you, it could happen while walking down the street,” he said.

“If it’s your time to go, it’s over,” he said.

Schools on more than a dozen islands in the Cyclades have been shut as a precaution until Friday, prompting many people with children to leave Santorini until the quake scare eases.

Strong winds on Wednesday prevented more ships from docking at the island.

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

Santorini lies atop a volcano which last erupted in 1950 — but an experts’ committee on Monday said the current tremors were “not linked to volcanic activity”.

Santorini attracted about 3.4 million visitors in 2023. Upwards of a million of those were cruise ship passengers.

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