Inhabitants and tourists flee Santorini out of fear

In 48 hours, 6,000 people have left Santorini (Greece). The Cycladic island is currently experiencing earthquakes. Fear of a major earthquake is driving the population and tourists to flee.

Since February 2, 2025, almost 6,000 people - including 4,640 by ferry and 1,294 by plane - have left the volcanic tourist island of Santorini (Greece) following seismic tremors. The neighboring island of Amorgos has also been hit by several earthquakes since the weekend. Special flights to Athens have been organized by Greek carrier Aegean Airlines, and two new ferries between Santorini and Piraeus (port of Athens) are ready to depart this Tuesday, February 4. Schools on Santorini and Amorgos have been closed until February 7.

New tremors

However, a new earthquake was recorded on February 4 during the night. It had a magnitude of 4.9, with its epicenter in the Aegean Sea, some 31km from Santorini. Santorini welcomes some 3 million tourists every year. Fortunately, it's relatively unvisited during the winter months.

(MH with Olivier Duquesne - Source: Le Soir with AFP - Picture: © picture alliance / Anadolu | Mehmet Emin Menguarslan)

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