Santorini has biggest earthquake yet as staff ready for potential evacuation

The Greek holiday island of Santorini has been hit by its biggest earthquake yet as evacuation drills are held in preparation for the worst.

The island has seen weeks of highly unusual seismic swarm with the latest being a magnitude of 5.3. Several tourists and locals have already been displaced with the latest quake, which took place on Tuesday (February 11), leaving medics forced to evacuate hospitals. They are on edge that the worst is yet to come, with experts saying this increase in smaller earthquakes could precede a bigger one.

Thus several hospitals and other essential services have staged evacuation drills to practise what may come soon. Several more quakes with magnitudes between 4 and 4.8 also hit Tuesday. Their epicenters were between the islands of Amorgos and Santorini, one of Greece’s most popular tourist destinations.

Last week, a state of emergency was declared on Santorini due to several earthquakes hitting the island. From 26 January to 8 February 2025, the Seismology Laboratory (SL) of the University of Athens registered more than 12,800 earthquakes in the Santorini-Amorgos zone, leaving them worried about what will follow.

Brit holidaymakers are being cautioned against visiting derelict buildings and partaking in indoor social events if travelling to Santorini during this turbulent period.

Schools also remain closed, with locals being told to avoid areas where they could be hit with falling debris. The Foreign Office has issued advice which may be subject to change in light of the fresh quakes, urging tourists to stay updated via the government website given the grim circumstances.

Amidst the unceasing tremors, local Chryssa Pappas told The Mirror: "We're all really scared. Our island is shaking constantly, and no one seems to know what will happen next."

Greek seismologist Akis Tselepis has voiced concerns that the same fault line that led to the disastrous 1956 earthquake—claiming 50 lives and leaving hundreds injured—has stirred once again.

Speaking to The Sun, Tselepis revealed: "The seismic activity is not withdrawing, on the contrary, it is gaining in momentum. The worst-case scenario is that we will again see an earthquake of the same magnitude."

Santorini's Thira Municipality has announced that emergency measures are to continue until March 3. In a statement, it declared: "A state of emergency has been decided to confront urgent needs and deal with the consequences that have arisen from the seismic activity."