UPDATE: |Dramatic eruption threatens to hit popular European island loved by holidaying Brits News

‘All scenarios remain open’ as experts work to determine any possible threat

Experts have warned that a popular southeastern European island which is visited by more than three million tourists each year could be under threat of being hit by a dramatic volcanic eruption.

Greek island Santorini was hit by a number of strong earthquakes earlier this year and experts are now desperately trying to pinpoint the exact date the seismic activity occurred to try and determine the threat of an underwater volcano.

More than 20,000 earthquakes of a magnitude of 1 or higher have been recorded in the Aegean Sea, which is situated between the volcanic islands of Santorini and Amorgos, since January 26 of this year.

Experts on board the RRS Discovery ship, which is hailed as a world-class scientific research vessel, are now scouring the seas surrounding the island, which was built among dramatic cliffs formed by a volcanic eruption more than 3,500 years ago, for clues to determine any possible danger.

Professor Isobel Yeo, from the National Oceanography Centre in Britain, told the BBC: “It’s a bit like ‘out of sight, out of mind’ in terms of understanding their danger, compared to more famous ones like Vesuvius. We know more about the surface of some planets than what’s down there.

“We are trying to map the hydrothermal system. It’s not like making a map on land. We have to look inside the earth.” The professor added: “Underwater volcanoes are capable of really big, really destructive eruptions. We are lulled into a sense of false security if you’re used to small eruptions and the volcano acting safe.”

The island, alongside the Cyclades island group including Anafi and Ios, was issued with a state of emergency in February, which saw nearly half of Santorini’s 11,000 residents evacuated for safety. At the time, officials said emergency services had ‘immediately reinforced Santorini and surrounding islands with additional personnel and specialised equipment’.

Residents at the time had spoke about how the seismic activity had caused panic on the island. Michalis Gerontakis, who is also the director of the Santorini Philharmonic Orchestra, told reporters at the time: “Everyone is anxious even if some of us hide it not to cause panic, but everyone is worried… Everything is closed. No one works now.”

Last month, the state of emergency was eased with officials reporting that Santorini was fully safe and ready to welcome visitors for the summer season. The Greek Tourism Minister said that seismic activity had ‘noticeably dropped’ and that ‘life on the island is returning to normalcy’.

However, ministers were also following ‘scientists’ guidance and directions’ on the matter. Authorities recently decided a cable car on Santorini will not be operational for at least the next three months as the government continues to observe seismic activity.

Greek seismologist Gerasimos Papadopoulos has also cautioned that the current earthquake sequence between the islands of Santorini, Ios, Amorgos, and Anafi, could indicate a larger impending event.

He said in a post: “All scenarios remain open. The number of tremors has increased, magnitudes have risen, and epicentres have shifted northeast. While these are tectonic quakes, not volcanic, the risk level has escalated.”