Turmoil beneath paradise: Santorini’s exodus amid intensifying seismic activity

Department of Research, Studies and International News 06-02-2025

For residents of Santorini, the ground beneath their feet has always carried the legacy of ancient cataclysms, but the relentless tremors of recent days have stirred a different kind of fear. By the time Veroniki Balabonidi felt the earth shake for the second consecutive day, she knew it was time to leave. In the pre-dawn hours of Sunday, she boarded a ferry bound for Piraeus, her two young children in tow. The vessel, packed with anxious residents and families fleeing the uncertainty, mirrored the growing apprehension gripping the island.

“We’re used to earthquakes. They happen here. But this time, it wasn’t just the shaking, what really scared us was the volcano. If it erupts, the toxic smoke could be devastating,” she explained from the safety of her in-laws’ home in Athens.

By Tuesday, an estimated 6,000 people had already abandoned the island, though some reports suggested the number could be nearly double. Every available mode of transportation, commercial flights, private planes, ferries, even luxury yachts, became a means of escape. Aegean Airlines, Greece’s national carrier, announced it had transported 2,700 passengers from Santorini to Athens in just 48 hours, having doubled its flight schedule to accommodate the demand.

As the sun set on yet another day punctuated by seismic jolts, including the most powerful yet, registering at 5.0 magnitude, the transformation of Santorini was unmistakable. The once-thriving streets of Fira, perched dramatically atop the island’s volcanic cliffs, now lay eerily deserted. Shops stood shuttered, lively tavernas were empty, and the usual hum of tourism had been replaced by an unsettling silence.

Under normal circumstances, Santorini, a crown jewel of the Cycladic archipelago, teems with life. Its whitewashed buildings, cascading bougainvillea, and breathtaking caldera views attract millions of visitors each year. But now, even those who had initially chosen to stay behind were reconsidering their decisions.

“I’ve heard of tourists demanding refunds and cutting their vacations short,” said Artemios Drossos, a longtime restaurant owner in Fira. “It’s understandable. This kind of seismic activity, one quake after another in rapid succession, is not normal. Still, I’m heading back this weekend, I have responsibilities, and honestly, I’ve grown used to it.”

Even locals who remained on the island admitted that life had taken on an unfamiliar, almost surreal quality. Panagiotis Hatzigeorgiou, a retired police officer and ship worker, reflected on the unusual quiet. “For the first time, we can sit alone, listen to music, and drink our coffee in peace,” he remarked with a wry smile.

Santorini, which welcomed a record-breaking 3.5 million tourists last year, is no stranger to geological upheaval. The island’s stunning topography is itself a testament to its violent past, formed by what is believed to be the most powerful volcanic eruption in recorded history, some 3,500 years ago. However, the recent swarm of earthquakes has triggered alarm.

Over the past 72 hours, more than 300 undersea tremors have been recorded in the waters surrounding Santorini, many exceeding 4.5 on the Richter scale. On Tuesday morning alone, in less than an hour, seismographs registered six significant earthquakes, including two at magnitudes of 4.8 and 4.9.

Seismologists have reached a chilling consensus: the fault line responsible for the catastrophic 7.7-magnitude earthquake and tsunami in 1956, which claimed 53 lives and injured over 100 people, has been reactivated. The epicenter lies between Santorini and Amorgos, one of the easternmost islands in the Cyclades.

Greece’s Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection confirmed last week that sensors placed inside Santorini’s caldera had detected “mild seismic-volcanic activity.”

“We believe that this volcano experiences minor eruptions roughly every 50 years,” explained Costas Synolakis, a leading authority on natural disasters. “We are within the expected timeframe for it to ‘let off steam.’ However, a large-scale eruption, the kind that reshapes landscapes, only occurs approximately every 17,000 years.”

Still, Synolakis urged caution. “We need to closely monitor the volcano. Nothing can be ruled out.”