Santorini facing crucial 24 hours to find out if it will be hit by ‘the big one’

Santorini faces a countdown to uncovering retired whether the adjacent earthquake volition beryllium ‘the large one’.

The adjacent 12 to 24 hours are expected to find whether the Greek island’s relentless earthquakes volition slice – oregon physique toward thing acold much dangerous.

Overnight, earthquakes with magnitudes of 5.2 and 4.6 rattled the region, portion of what is known arsenic the Hellenic Volcanic Arc, raising fears of a tsunami oregon adjacent a volcanic eruption.

The quake swarms person seen thousands evacuated and a authorities of exigency declared.

Security and health hazard services company, International SOS, has been monitoring the seismic activity, preparing for immoderate could travel next.

Adam Lakhani, information director, told Metro that Santorini has been shaking nether the unit of much than idiosyncratic 200 tremors successful the fewer days.

‘Earthquakes are incredibly hard to predict,’ helium said. ‘All the accusation that we are seeing astatine the infinitesimal – whether we are astatine the commencement of seismic enactment oregon extremity – indicates that we are precise overmuch successful the middle.

‘In the adjacent 12 to 24 hours, we should spot an denotation arsenic to whether the numbers are rising oregon declining.’

Meanwhile, ferries and commercialized airlines person added flights and ships to their schedules to accommodate the accrued demand.

Mr Lakhani said International SOS clients was alerted connected Tuesday aft a emergence successful tremors.

So acold nary requests for evacuations person been made to the company, which tin coordinate specified operations.

He added: ‘We person been pursuing the concern precise intimately and pulling information from the Institute of Geodynamics successful Athens and the US Geological Survey.

‘So acold determination person been nary casualties oregon damage. The evacuations we person seen successful the quality person bee precise precautionary.

‘Thankfully, it is debased season, truthful we bash not person a ample fig of tourists connected the island.

‘A fig of exigency services person besides been redeployed to the land again arsenic mentation successful lawsuit of a larger quake.’

International SOS has been relaying accusation from the Greek catastrophe informing strategy to its clients and sharing the locations of the nearest shelters.

Greece lies successful a highly seismically progressive country and low-level earthquakes are frequent.

But it is highly uncommon for immoderate portion of the state to acquisition specified an aggravated barrage of shakes.

Predicting them is not scientifically possible, and experts cannot really find whether the seismic enactment betwixt the islands of Santorini and Amorgos is simply a precursor to a importantly larger earthquake, oregon is portion of weeks oregon months of tiny oregon mean strength ones.

Mr Lakhani said: ‘These earthquakes are not unprecedented. It is simply a seismic area. But the infrastructure is built with that successful mind.

‘Buildings person been built with the knowledge. The demolition from an earthquake volition not beryllium akin to what we accidental successful Turkey and Syria 2 years ago.’

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