Earthquakes are not uncommon on Santorini and in 1956 was actually struck by one of the most serious quakes to affect Greece over the past 100 years. A 7.7-magnitude temblor, dubbed the Amorgos earthquake, triggered a roughly 20-meter (65-foot) tsunami, causing significant damage in Amorgos and Santorini and killing more than 50 people.

Greece has declared a state of emergency for the popular tourist island of Santorini following a surge in seismic activity. Hundreds of undersea tremors have rattled the island for almost a week, culminating in a magnitude 5.2 earthquake late on Wednesday – the strongest since the tremors began on 31 January.