Greek PM Says State on Alert over Santorini Quakes, Urges Calm

People examine their property in the almost evacuated village of Oia on Santorini island, Greece, 05 February 2025. EPA/ORESTIS PANAGIOTOU
People examine their property in the almost evacuated village of Oia on Santorini island, Greece, 05 February 2025. EPA/ORESTIS PANAGIOTOU
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Greek PM Says State on Alert over Santorini Quakes, Urges Calm

People examine their property in the almost evacuated village of Oia on Santorini island, Greece, 05 February 2025. EPA/ORESTIS PANAGIOTOU
People examine their property in the almost evacuated village of Oia on Santorini island, Greece, 05 February 2025. EPA/ORESTIS PANAGIOTOU

Greek authorities are monitoring increased seismic activity on the island of Santorini, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Friday, urging the public to remain calm and follow the advice of the civil protection service.
Greece has declared a state of emergency on Santorini as hundreds of earthquakes have rattled the popular tourist island over the past week, prompting the evacuation of more than 10,000 residents and workers.
Authorities have warned of a high landslide risk on parts of the island and have shut schools, sent rescuers and advised residents to avoid indoor gatherings and ports that are surrounded by sheer rock faces. Army, fire service and police units have been deployed preemptively.
Some of the measures have been extended to the islands of Amorgos, Ios and Anafi, Reuters reported.
"I want to assure the residents of Santorini and the neighboring islands, which are being tested these days, that the state mechanism is on their side," Mitsotakis said during a brief visit to the island to inspect the state of readiness.
"We hope this phenomenon ends quickly and the island fully returns to its normal pace," he said, adding that preparedness and prevention were pivotal.
Greece, sitting on multiple fault lines, is one of Europe's most earthquake-prone countries. But the high seismic activity in the area of Santorini is unprecedented, seismologists have said, warning that it could last weeks or months.



Heavy Rains Flood Congo’s Capital


People walk through the flooded streets of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo Sunday, April 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Samy Ntumba Shambuyi)
People walk through the flooded streets of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo Sunday, April 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Samy Ntumba Shambuyi)
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Heavy Rains Flood Congo’s Capital


People walk through the flooded streets of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo Sunday, April 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Samy Ntumba Shambuyi)
People walk through the flooded streets of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo Sunday, April 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Samy Ntumba Shambuyi)

Major flooding hit several neighborhoods in Congo's capital Kinshasa, killing at least 19 people and causing severe damage, authorities said Saturday.

Heavy rains Friday through Saturday triggered floods and landslides in Kinshasa's western neighborhood of Ngaliema, killing at least 17 people, the local mayor, Fulgence Bolokome, told the radio station Top Congo. Two avenues in the city were also cut off, he added.

Two other people died when the deluge toppled a wall in the southern neighborhood of Lemba, Mayor Jean-Serge Poba said. A police camp and a bridge were damaged, The AP news reported.

“It was around 3 a.m. when we heard a loud noise. When we went outside, the neighbors’ wall had collapsed. The man and his wife both died, leaving behind five children who made it out unharmed,” resident Clovis Kalenga told The Associated Press.

In April, floods in Kinshasa killed at least 22 people and cut off access to over half the city and the country’s main airport.