Professor Efthymios Lekkas, head of the state-run Earthquake Planning and Protection Organization, warned on Sunday that seismic activity in Santorini is expected to continue for an extended period.
“It will be a prolonged sequence lasting several weeks, possibly even a few months. This type of seismic activity does not subside easily,” he stated in an interview with public broadcaster ERTNews.
Lekkas further explained that the total number of tremors has already exceeded 20,000 earthquakes. “We are dealing with a unique phenomenon in a unique region. The risk has not been eliminated, just as the risk is never zero anywhere in Greece,” he added.
While the possibility of a 6.0-magnitude earthquake remains on the table, he said that the likelihood is significantly lower.
Meanwhile, since Saturday morning, a team from the Department of Geology at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (EKPA), led by Professor Manolis Vasilakis, has been stationed in Santorini. Their mission is to assess the potential worsening of landslide-prone areas on the island.
Using advanced close-range remote sensing technology, the team is mapping high-risk locations where landslides, already a frequent occurrence in Santorini, may become more severe.