Seoul, Feb 7 (IANS) South Korea on Friday issued a special travel advisory for Santorini and three other Greek islands — Anafi, Ios and Amorgos — as hundreds of earthquakes hit or affected the islands in the last two weeks.
More than 700 earthquakes, with magnitudes between 3 and 4, have occurred on and around the popular tourist island since January 24.
Thousands of local residents have been evacuating from the island, with authorities closing schools and advising people to refrain from large indoor gatherings.
A special travel advisory calls for South Korean citizens to cancel or postpone their trips to the Greek islands and for those living there to flee to a safe country unless for urgent matters.
The special advisory is issued by the government in cases of urgent security risks to travelers and can be maintained for up to 90 days, Yonhap news agency reported.
Notably, Santorini is no stranger to tremors. Its most recent large quake – with a 7.5 magnitude – struck in 1956, killing at least 53 people and injuring more than 100 others.
Earlier on February 5, thousands of residents fled the island of Santorini after a swarm of earthquakes shook the Greek islands in the Aegean Sea.
Authorities closed the schools and warned against large indoor gatherings. Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, however, urged calm.
Santorini, dubbed Greece’s “Instagram Island,” attracts millions of visitors yearly but is only home to around 2,000 permanent residents. In recent days, many of the locals fled the island for the safety of the mainland. For those who decided to stay in Santorini, Greek officials warned them to remain alert in the coming days due to the increasing seismic activity.
No major damage had been reported on the island so far, but emergency measures were being taken as a precaution. Schools on the island were closed till today and residents had been urged to avoid large indoor gatherings.
–IANS
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