Quakes ‘every 10 mins’ on Santorini could trigger volcano, experts fear as holiday hotspot becomes ghost town & 9k flee

EARTHQUAKES rocking Santorini could trigger a volcano, experts fear, arsenic residents and tourists proceed to fly the vacation hotspot.

Santorini and different surrounding islands person been described to beryllium "dancing" arsenic terrifying seismic activity continues to intensify, with quakes felt each 10 minutes.

From Friday until Tuesday, much than 550 terrifying tremors person been recorded successful the oversea country betwixt Santorini and different fashionable land destinations Amorgos and Ios.

And conscionable this greeting alone, determination were a whopping six earthquakes successful 50 minutes recorded successful Amorgos and Anafi, with the biggest being astatine astir 4 connected the Richter scale.

Despite suggestions of the quakes being linked to Santorini's volcano initially getting unopen down, experts who participated successful meetings led by Greece's Prime Minister reason otherwise.

Director of Research of the Geodynamic Institute of Athens, Thanasis Ganas, said that each the efforts of the state and scientists are being made to hole for the worst lawsuit script - a tsunami oregon volcanic eruption.

He said connected Greece's First Program: "Either we volition person a bid of aftershocks, meaning magnitudes that volition beryllium successful the bid of 4.5 to 4.7 [on the Richter scale] astatine astir past nighttime astatine 7:45 PM, oregon we volition person a larger seismic tremor that could origin a tsunami and immoderate volcanic eruption.

"So we are preparing for these scenarios."

The adept explained that it's presently chartless however the series of tremors volition germinate betwixt Santorini and Andydros, meaning that it's a waiting crippled "to spot the improvement of the phenomenon".

Between Santorini determination are assorted volcanoes that could erupt - but the astir feared is the "very active" Kolumbo, conscionable 8km northeast of the island.

Data shows an summation successful gases from the volcano, with scientists paying adjacent attraction to spot however it whitethorn develop.

On Monday determination were 12 tremors supra 4 connected the Richter standard which marks a terrifying "intense development" that experts are having to ticker closely.

If an earthquake betwixt 5 and 6 were to occur, "it whitethorn make a landslide which whitethorn make a tsunami" which has been described arsenic a "possible scenario".

Director of the Geodynamic Institute of the Athens Observatory, Vasilis Karastathis, besides warned connected Monday that the quakes were "unusual," particularly successful specified a abbreviated play of time.

Phones connected the land blared terrifying alert warnings astir the slides arsenic various earthquakes caused deafening rumbles.

Schools were closed and exigency crews deployed successful Santorini arsenic fears grew of devastation from the quakes.

Citizens and visitors person been speaking retired astir their fears from the quakes and consequential landslides - with implicit 9,000 to person fled Santorini successful the past 24 hours.

Traffic has been piling up connected the roads starring to the island's larboard and the airport, with each flights departing full.

But those remaining successful Santorini fearfulness the changeless seismic vibrations, with galore sleeping successful their cars oregon outdoors successful lawsuit their homes were to collapse.

One resident, Michalis Gerontakis, said: "I person ne'er felt thing similar this and with specified frequence - an earthquake each 10 oregon 20 minutes.

"Everyone is anxious adjacent if immoderate of america fell it not to origin panic, but everyone is worried."

Another local, Nadia Benomar, explained: "We’ve had earthquakes earlier but ne'er thing similar this. This feels different."

Authorities person banned entree to immoderate spots by the sea, including Santorini's celebrated aged port, owed to the adjacent proximity to the cliffs.

Mr Ganas believes the "most apt thing" is for the series to "evolve without further escalation".

Landslides began to devastate the beauteous Santorini coasts owed to the aggravated tremors.

Unbelievable footage shows rocks dramatically fall, leaving down ample clouds of particulate conscionable on the borderline of Santorini's stunning, all-white landscape.

Rocks were besides captured plummeting into the oversea arsenic residents and visitors watched connected in horror.