'I am afraid': Magnitude 5.3 earthquake rattles Santorini; people flee amid series of temblors
An earthquake measuring magnitude 5.3 rattled near Santorini, Greece, on Tuesday, the latest in a series of earthquakes that have prompted people to flee the popular tourist destination.
The earthquake, recorded less than 10 miles east of the island after a separate temblor, measured at magnitude 4.7, struck off the island's coast, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The latest quake took place just after 3 p.m. local time, according to USGS.
Data provided by USGS showed the latest earthquake was 6.2 miles deep.
No injuries were immediately reported, but hundreds have fled the island as a safety precaution, according to multiple reports after several other earthquakes were recorded northeast of the island this week.
'We are going to leave because I am afraid'
Photos taken on the island show people waiting in line and boarding a ferry to Piraeus during increased seismic activity in the area. According to Reuterspeople also fled Santorini in planes Tuesday to reach safety in other cities including Athens.
"We are going to leave because I am afraid, there are constantly earthquakes, we have to leave for the kids, so the kids can calm down," 38-year-old Beni Ouklala, who works on the island, told Reuters.
Others decided to wait it out, Reuters reported. "We will stay here, why should we leave? If something happens it happens," 63-year-old tourist boat captain Eftichis Diamantopouulos said.
How many earthquakes has Greece had in recent days?
Hundreds of temblors have been registered "every few minutes in the sea between the volcanic islands of Santorini and Amorgos, in the Aegean Sea, in recent days," Reuters reported Tuesday, prompting authorities to shutter schools in Santorini and on nearby islands including Anafi.
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In addition to the Tuesday quake which measured at magnitude 4.7 just before the 3 p.m. quake, online USGS data listed a dozen other earthquakes that have occurred in the region since Monday.
Those quake magnitudes range from 4.0 to 5.3.
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