Santorini in state of emergency as women & kids flee and men guard from looters…amid warning quake terror may last weeks

A STATE of exigency has been declared connected Santorini aft a bid of beardown quakes deed the land this week.

The constant earthquakes person forced hundreds of tourists and families to fly amid fears of  “a mega event” that whitethorn past for weeks.

Dramatic pictures amusement people leaving the idyllic land en masse portion shocking footage shows landslides, leaving down ample clouds of dust.

Nearly 15,000 radical person fled the land with astir described arsenic "terrified" mums and children portion section men stayed down to support properties from imaginable looter.

The fashionable vacation edifice was plunged into situation mode after thousands of undersea tremors forced its municipality hallway to telephone the month-long authorities of emergency.

A connection by the Thira Municipality reads: "A authorities of exigency has been decided to face urgent needs and woody with the consequences that person arisen from the seismic activity."

It added that the measures would beryllium successful spot until March 3.

The tourer blistery spot resembled a shade municipality with police cordoning disconnected astir of Santorini’s spectacular cliff-top municipality arsenic the roar of rockslides mounted on with fears of a almighty quake triggering a tsunami.   

"The men person stayed down to look aft everything we own,” Chryssa Pappas told the Sun arsenic she waited to committee a ferry with her young lad and daughter.

"We’re each truly scared. Our land is shaking perpetually and nary 1 seems to cognize what volition hap next."

Earlier politician Nikos Zorgos had warned against panic taking clasp arsenic a wide exodus of holidaymakers and section families began.

It follows a magnitude 5.2 tremor connected Wednesday - the astir almighty recorded this week.

Around 7,7000 quakes person shaken the volcanic isle successful the past week.

Since February 1, 108 earthquakes measuring implicit 4 connected the Richter standard had been recorded portion a full of 90 of the aforesaid magnitude had been recorded for each of 2023. 

In full betwixt January 26 and February 3, determination were 6,400 recorded quakes between the volcanic island of Santorini and Amorgos.

Within minutes of the exigency measurement being taken, officials said premier curate Kyriakos Mitsotakis would alert into the land connected Friday.

Later connected Thursday the Greek authorities announced that subject and much occurrence brigade unit would beryllium dispatched to Santorini "for information reasons" arsenic fears of looting besides grew. 

Social workers and psychologists are besides being sent to the land "to assistance radical cope." 

Natural catastrophe experts said they feared a 5.2 magnitude earthquake precocious Wednesday – felt adjacent successful Athens and the strongest connected grounds yet – could beryllium a prelude to an earthquake so  powerful it would trigger a tsunami.

The older procreation connected Santorini inactive person memories of the catastrophic quake that struck the land successful July 1956, leaving 50 dormant and hundreds injured.

Greek sesimologist Akis Tselepis said: "There is nary uncertainty that the aforesaid responsibility enactment has been activated.

“The seismic enactment is not withdrawing, connected the contrary it is gaining successful momentum.

"The large responsibility enactment that gave america the catastrophic earthquake of 1956 is erstwhile again live and the worst lawsuit script is that we volition again spot an earthquake of the aforesaid magnitude.” 

Other earthy catastrophe adept said they believed the “highly unnatural geological phenomenon” could proceed for weeks and adjacent months.

Experts accidental the seismic enactment is unrelated to volcanic enactment successful the Aegean Sea.

Professor of Seismology and Geology, Efthimios Lekkas told ERT the land could spot a 6 magnitude earthquake successful the coming days.

"There is nary anticipation of a large earthquake. In different words, the script for supra 6 points (6.1 oregon 6.2) is little imaginable and the script - successful the utmost lawsuit - for beneath 6 points is much possible."