One of the world's top tourist destinations has been hit by thousands of seismic shakes – and it could get worse.
CGTN's Evangelos Sipsas reports.
#Greece #Santorini
CGTN's Evangelos Sipsas reports.
#Greece #Santorini
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00:00The Greek Prime Minister has urged the public to stay calm after declaring a state of emergency on Santorini.
00:06More tremors have been reported as Kyriakos Mitsotakis visited the island.
00:11Hundreds of small earthquakes have struck over the past week.
00:14The army has been deployed and thousands of residents and tourists have fled.
00:19Our correspondent Evangelos Tsitsas is in Athens.
00:23These tremors continue to take place as we speak in Santorini but also the nearby islands of Anafi and Ios and Amorgos.
00:33Those are the islands mostly affected by it.
00:36So far there have been reported that just overnight more than a hundred tremors, quite strong ones actually, have been taking place.
00:43And that's what worries the scientists.
00:46The scientists are worried because what they have said so far is that we haven't experienced the main earthquake, so to say, the strong one that they're expecting.
00:55And that's why there's a lot of uncertainty and that's why there's a lot of concern.
00:59That's why, as you mentioned, thousands had to leave the island of Santorini.
01:03We're talking about almost 60% of the population has left the island and has found refuge.
01:09The nearby islands are here in Athens.
01:12The Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis also visited the island on Friday and he declared it a state of emergency because they're concerned that something bigger might happen.
01:22Now, of course, we haven't heard any major damages.
01:25There has been some rock slides, some slight damages in buildings and in nearby islands, but nothing significant.
01:32And that's what the Prime Minister is focusing on.
01:34He wants nothing to happen.
01:36He wants to be as much as prepared as he can be in case of a big earthquake.
01:40That's why the army has been deployed.
01:42That's why generators are on the island, but also antennas in case of connectivity with a cell phone.
01:47Now, the Prime Minister did say that our number one priority is to make sure that the people that are going to be there need to stay safe.
01:54Let's have a listen.
01:56My job is to always err on the side of caution and that is why we have mobilized the state infrastructure in the eventuality of a bigger earthquake.
02:09We are constantly listening to the experts and we will take our decisions based on their expert advice.
02:20And on the island at the moment there is, from the civil protection, a unit there that is stationed in an outdoor field where they set up tents.
02:27They're going to be staying there until things are calming down.
02:31They want to make sure that if people need to evacuate, they're going to be there to support them and to be able to help them leave the island.
02:37Evangelo, very briefly, Santorini loved the world over for its tourism, of course, and its beauty.
02:43What does all this mean for this coming season's tourism?
02:48Well, it is a world destination.
02:50Ninety percent of the island's economy does rely on tourism.
02:54So you can imagine right now how people are concerned that this upcoming summer season, it could be affected.
03:01Because businesses, as we speak right now, have been shut.
03:03There has been cancellations in trips of people who already planned on going to the island.
03:08And that's why the locals there are concerned and they raise that concern to the Prime Minister,
03:12saying that if this continues to happen and cancellations continue more and more,
03:17then we need support by the government to be able to subsidize what we're going to lose.
03:21So this island could be heavily affected by tourism, but not only the island, the Greek economy as well.