This is the moment two women screamed and hid under desks in an office building in fear of their lives after a 5.1 magnitude earthquake office hit an office building in Santorini.
Moments before the quake struck, the two women were seen working at their desks. As the office building began to shake, both women were seen pricking their ears up before hurriedly hiding under their white desks as the shaking intensified.
Several people could be heard screaming and shouting in panic, as the earthquake carried on.
It comes days after Greece declared an month-long state of emergency on Santorini after a series of earthquakes forced thousands of people to flee the tourist hotspot.
Since January 31, a series of undersea tremors have been recorded between Santorini and the neighbouring islands of Amorgos, Anafi, and Ios, with the strongest- a 5.2-magnitude quake – striking on Wednesday night.
On Thursday evening, a 4.6 magnitude quake was recorded at 20:16 local time in the sea between Santorini and Amorgos, followed by a 4.2 magnitude quake roughly two hours later.
The near-constant tremors have left residents and tourists terrified, with authorities shutting schools, cordoning off cliff-top towns, and warning of landslides.
Locals have been urged to stay away from ports and avoid gathering indoors, as emergency crews – including the army, fire service, and police – have been deployed across the island.
The emergency measures will remain in place until at least March 3, allowing Greece’s climate crisis and civil protection ministry to coordinate its response to the ongoing seismic activity.
More than 11,000 people have now fled Santorini as the island remains gripped by the relentless earthquakes, with tremors now being recorded minute by minute.
Experts have warned that the island is facing a ‘seismic crisis’ with no clear end in sight, raising fears of a larger, more destructive quake in the days ahead.
While Thursday’s tremors have not yet matched the 5.2-magnitude quake that struck on Wednesday, authorities remain on high alert for potential landslides and aftershocks.
So far, no injuries or major damage have been reported, but emergency teams are preparing for the worst.
Some residents have taken matters into their own hands, building makeshift tsunami defences using sandbags along Monolithos beach, where buildings sit dangerously close to the water.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who is set to visit Santorini on Friday, has called for calm while reassuring residents that authorities are ready to respond.
‘All emergency plans have been implemented. Forces have been deployed to Santorini and the surrounding islands so we are ready for any eventuality,’ he said.
Seismologists say the quakes are the result of tectonic plate movements, not volcanic activity, despite Santorini sitting on the Hellenic Volcanic Arc – a chain of islands formed by ancient eruptions.
Greece is one of Europe’s most earthquake-prone countries, but seismologists say the current level of activity is unlike anything seen before – and could continue for weeks or even months.