A strong earthquake has been recorded between the Greek islands of Amorgos and Santorini, after days of consecutive tremors in the area.
More than 11,000 people have already left Santorini with around 7,000 departing by ferry and 4,000 people leaving by air.
The quake followed two smaller tremors minutes earlier, and was recorded at 21:09 local time (19:09 GMT) as a magnitude 5.2 tremor, making it the strongest in recent days. It is estimated to have occurred at a depth of 5km.
So far major damage has not been reported on the island but authorities have been taking precautionary measures.
Santorini welcomes millions of tourists annually, but it is currently low season meaning local residents and workers make up the majority of evacuees.
Schools on Santorini – and other neighbouring islands including Anafi, Paros, Naxos and Mykonos – will remain closed until Friday, when authorities will make a decision about when they can re-open.
Vassilis Kikilias, the climate and civil protection minister, said units of firefighters specialised in natural disasters were being despatched to Santorini. Teams with special dogs and a mobile operations centre have also been sent to the island, while helicopters are on standby in case of emergency.
Kikilias also said the coast guard and armed forces would be available to assist vulnerable people who wish to evacuate.
Earlier on Wednesday, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis struck an optimistic tone at a meeting of civil protection experts.
“First and foremost, the state trusts science and scientists. We have done this in other crises,” the prime minister said.
“All plans have been implemented. Forces have been moved to Santorini and the other islands, so that we are ready for any eventuality,” stressed Mitsotakis.
“We will continue like this with the good hope that things will get better, and the phenomenon will subside.”
Mitsotakis concluded his statement with an appeal to the islanders to “stay calm and cooperate with the authorities”.
“I understand the fear of being on Santorini, which is constantly shaking,” he added, emphasising that the situation would be assessed on a daily basis.
Santorini is on what is known as the Hellenic Volcanic Arc – a chain of islands created by volcanoes – but the last major eruption was in the 1950s.
Greek authorities have said the recent tremors were related to tectonic plate movements, not volcanic activity.
Scientists cannot predict the exact timing, size or location of earthquakes.
But there are areas of the world where they are more likely to occur which helps governments prepare.
Earthquakes are the result of movement of tectonic plates in the earth’s crust. Sometimes these plates lock together when they meet, which is called a plate boundary or a fault line.
Santorini and the other Greek Islands are near such a line.
