Hundreds flee Santorini as quakes disrupt life

A tremor with a magnitude of 4.7 was recorded by the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre on the island where the most popular white and blue villages cling to steep cliffs over the sea.

"Everything is closed. No one works now. The whole island has emptied," said Dori, a 18-year-old local resident who was boarding the ferry to Athens.

More people were expected to fly out on an additional flight on Tuesday.

With seismologists estimating that the intense seismic activity could take days or weeks to abate, people were advised to stay out of coastal areas due to the risk of landslides, and avoid indoor gatherings.

Some hotels started emptying their pools as they were told that the water load made buildings more vulnerable.

Greece is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in Europe as it sits at the boundary of the African and Eurasian tectonic plates whose constant interaction prompts frequent quakes.

Santorini took its current shape following one of the largest volcanic eruptions in history, around 1600 BC. The last eruption in the area occurred in 1950.