Earthquakes in the Cyclades: Another night of agony in Santorini, successive earthquakes – Deserted the island

Concern is growing in the post-Cyclades that continued at a rapid pace and today Tuesday (04/02/2025). Typical is that within half an hour (from 21.45 to 22.20) six successive earthquakes took place in the Cyclades. 4 Richter and above, making them felt both in Santorini and Amorgos. CORVERSE Santorini now resembles a deserted city as until Tuesday afternoon (04/02/2025) more than 11,000 people have left with the ferries and by air. The island has been deserted and Fira reminds of pandemic images with a few people on the street and few shops open. On the contrary, crowding prevailed again in both the port and the airport from the world leaving the island as it fears seismic vibrations. CORVERSE The most powerful vibration recorded today (04/02/2025) was of the order of 5 Richter which in no case can be considered as the main earthquake. In fact, scientists describe as extremely unusual and unprecedented the seismic activity that has been evolving since last Friday in the marine space between Santorini and Amorgos and try to decode it. The strong 5 Richter vibration as reflected in amateur Lekkas video: We can’t talk about a major earthquake yet. The president of OASP, Euthymios Lekkas spoke in the ERT newscast and was quoted about the evolution of seismic vibrations over 4 Richter that cause an unprecedented sequence with the focus recurring between Santorini and Amorgos. “In these seismic sequences we cannot yet talk about a main earthquake. We can’t figure out what situation we’re in. Unfortunately, all members of the Earthquake Risk Assessment Committee of the Anti- Earthquake Planning and Protection Agency cannot assess what scenario we are going to go to, because we are not well aware of the phenomenon of the earthquake. Nature works under different laws, different conditions. This is how we formulate scenarios to prepare our reaction and actions in order to have the smallest impact. A scenario to go with 5-degree earthquakes has the positive that no damage is done, but the negative is that it will go for a long time. It will be a long sequence, maybe a few weeks, maybe even a few months.” Mr. Lekkas went on to say that another 5.5-degree scenario. “A great deal of energy will be absorbed, so the seismic activity will automatically be impaired in the next period,” he said. If we remain in the magnitudes of earthquakes now taking place, according to Mr Lekka, the phenomena will remain “possibly two, three, four weeks or even a few months. There will be recession, they will appear again, there will be interruptions, there will be more frequency in a few days, but smaller sizes or in other days there will be larger sizes with more sparse frequency. They are scenarios that we are looking at, but without being able to determine which scenario nature itself will essentially follow.” “Don’t worry people” At the same time he pointed out that people should not worry: “I think it is reasonable for people to leave Santorini because many people, many of our fellow citizens, are particularly sensitive to all these phenomena, but I think it is a bit too much of a process. If you told me if Santorini was safe, I would tell you that Santorini is safe – in these scenarios we described. On whether there are any possibilities for an extreme scenario, Mr. Lekkas stressed that, “we should always count on it. I think the odds are extremely small, but they are within the existing possibilities that exist, even if they are very small. Thus, it is also justified that this great mobilisation which is really the first time that has taken place in a similar case in the Greek area.” “So far we do not see any connection to volcanic activity” “So far we do not see any connection with volcanic activity,” said Mr Lekkas and stressed that, “we do not see such a connection between volcanic processes and seismic activity.” As for whether this seismic activity can lead in the future to a connection with the volcanic, he stressed that “yes, since all these processes continue, we may, but we have a long way ahead of us, because earthquakes can happen at any time, but volcanoes do not operate from one moment to another. It takes several weeks, several months, several years, one would say. We therefore have an interesting scientific future ahead of us to see exactly how nature works, because that is what this is about.” “Face to close schools” He also referred to the closed schools and stressed that “it is reasonable in Amorgos, Ios and Anafi that schools should close. It was a proposal from the Earthquake Risk Assessment Committee to the ministry that made it acceptable. The schools will be closed by Friday. In other areas there will be no burden from seismic activity. In Naxos, for example, or Paros, but for reasonable psychological reasons, the mayors of these areas decided, as is apparent from the law, to close schools. I think it’s a little too much, but for Santorini, Amorgos, Anafi and Chios it’s preventive, clear, preventive, we proposed that schools be closed.” (CONTAINER/EUROKINISSI AGRICULTURAL) The inhabitants of Amorgos, as well as the inhabitants of Santorini, live hours of agony and those in Amorgos with the older ones wishing not to wake up the fault near the island and had activated the Columbus volcano. There is great fear of tsunamis and fishermen have the boats tied to the ports of the island. Many spent the night in cars and open spaces, on the field, even on the terraces of their homes. The island reached a step from the National Observatory of Athens. A seismograph was placed at the helipad to enhance the recording, also a tier of the Naxos Fire Department arrived with five rescuers, an EKAB preventive and four dalliances with materials from the HEDNO.